'This is horrifying': How a pro-suicide forum encourages sodium nitrite use in Canada, U.K.

CTV National News: Kenneth Law appeal Lawyers for Kenneth Law have filed an appeal with the Supreme Court of Canada in his murder case. Jon Woodward has the latest.

Editor’s note: If you or anyone you know is struggling with mental health there are a number of ways to get help, including by calling Talk Suicide Canada at 1-833-456-4566. A list of local crisis centres is also available here.

Although Mississauga man Kenneth Law currently faces criminal charges for allegedly selling sodium nitrite and other lethal supplies for the purpose of self-harm, one issue that remains unresolved is the manner through which many of Law’s alleged customers appear to have found him and his products: an active website where members openly discuss suicide.

A cursory look through the site in question, reveals a disturbing number of users claiming to be Canadian and struggling with thoughts of self-harm. Similarly, many posts on the forum appear to allude to Law’s business, referring to a “KL” and encouraging other users to contact that individual for a consultation or purchase. Others use acronyms in an apparent reference to websites that police say he was behind.

The charges against Law have not yet been tested in court.

CP24.com is not naming the site in question, though it should be noted that it directly references suicide in its URL.

The site has previously faced scrutiny in the U.K. for its connection to several recent deaths, including at least one death due to sodium nitrite poisoning.

The forum has been blocked by governments in Australia, Italy and Germany, and at least one internet service provider in the U.K. has restricted access to the site and others like it unless an account holder turns off a specific filter. A U.S. bill introduced in 2022 also addresses the site directly, suggesting criminal penalties for encouraging suicide.

In Canada, this site is easily searchable on Google and no provinces have imposed a restriction on accessing it.

“This is horrifying,” Camille Quenneville, CEO of the Canadian Mental Health Association, Ontario Division, told CP24. The organization was not aware of the site prior to CP24’s inquiry. “It’s extremely disturbing to see this, and to think somebody would encourage this as a way to end [one’s] life…this site should be taken down immediately.”

Quenneville says the organization “cares deeply” about this issue and will raise its concerns with the appropriate governing bodies. “We are horrified this exists,” she said.

A representative for the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention, meanwhile, told CP24 they were similarly unaware of this particular site before our inquiry, but said that they have raised the issue of similar sites with the Departments of Justice and Health in the past.

“These sites are despicable and prey on vulnerable people,” Sean Krausert, executive director of CASP said in an email.

Why the site remains on Google Search

One of the key issues with the site, mental health advocates say, is its ease of being found online: a quick Google search will lead curious internet users to the correct link.

When reached by CP24, a spokesperson for Google called this a “deeply painful and challenging issue,” adding that when people search on Google for information about suicide, they will be directed to region-specific prevention hotlines and support networks.

“We also block autocomplete predictions for those searches,” said the spokesperson. “We balance these safeguards with our commitment to give people open access to information. We’re guided by local law when it comes to the important and complex questions of what people should be able to find online.”

How a grieving U.K. family has advocated for systemic change

Some efforts to restrict the site in the U.K. have been mildly successful.

Catherine Adenekan’s son Joe Nihill took his own life with sodium nitrite in 2020. He was 23.

In a note found by investigators, Nihill wrote, “please do your best in closing that website for anyone else.”

Nihill did not purchase the substance from Law, it should be noted.

“When we found out, we tried to take action against [the site],” Adenekan told CP24. “It’s disgusting, just vile. It’s taken so many lives.”

Following criticism of the site, Sky, an internet provider in the U.K., has started blocking it unless an account holder turns off a specific filter. Adenekan and her daughter-in-law Melanie Saville say this is a step forward, but it’s not enough.

“It’s better for younger people who maybe don’t have access to the internet account,” Saville told CP24. “But if somebody’s in that mindset, a filter isn’t going to stop them….the majority of people in that mindset, who are looking for methods might just lead themselves (on the site).”

Adenekan says efforts to get the site taken down in the U.S., where it’s believed to be hosted, have proven unsuccessful.

“Homeland Security refused,” she said. “They said they’re monitoring it, and it’s easy to monitor it while it’s in the U.S. If it goes on the Dark Web, they can’t monitor it.”

Both Adenekan and Saville believe it’s important to keep calling the site out through the media and other advocacy measures, in the hopes that continued exposure will lead to it being shut down.

In an email, a representative for Health Canada said that they are aware of reports of sodium nitrite ingestion, adding that they are taking action “to address this concerning trend.” The representative did not provide comment on the pro-suicide website.

The Ontario Ministry of Health did not immediately respond to CP24’s inquiry.

While the site is unlikely to be taken down or restricted in the short term, Quenneville says there are a number of supports in place for Canadians who may be struggling with suicidal ideation, including the Talk Suicide Canada line at 1-833-456-4566, as well as a number of programs run by the Canadian Mental Health Association, which has 27 branches in Ontario. Evening SMS support is also available by texting 45645.