Nantucket Sewage Tests Reveal High Cocaine Use By Islanders

A few months ago, I reported that officials on Nantucket were testing the island's sewage to determine which illicit drugs were being used by islanders and to what extent. The first results are back and are eye-opening.

READ MORE: Nantucket to Test Sewage to See What Hard Drugs Islanders Use

A June 17, 2025, Nantucket Current article stated, "Nantucket's Health Department will soon begin testing the island's sewage for a range of hard drugs to establish a baseline that will help leaders better understand trends in Nantucket's use of illicit substances."

"The data could also be used as a tool to anticipate when outreach and intervention become more important for substance abuse prevention organizations and medical providers," according to the Current.

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The European Union Drug Agency (EUDA) reported, "The analysis of municipal wastewater for drugs and their metabolic products to estimate community development is a developing field."

You may recall that the city of Boston and other Massachusetts communities tested wastewater to track trends during the COVID-19 pandemic several years ago.

The results from Nantucket's wastewater testing are pouring in and are concerning.

READ MORE: The Day Jimmy Buffett Crashed a Plane on Nantucket

Fox News Digital reported, "The sewage in New England's exclusive Nantucket retreat is full of cocaine, according to local authorities, who this summer began testing it to monitor potential drug use in a popular summer getaway for the rich and powerful."

Fox stated a public posting by island officials details "cocaine levels about 50% higher than the national average."

"The same tests found below-average levels of fentanyl, a deadly synthetic opioid blamed for overdoses around the country," according to Fox.

Nicotine content in the island's sewage hovered around the regional average but below the national average.