America’s Richest Island Just Tested Its Sewer Water, And It's Apparently Loaded With Cocaine

In a plot twist nobody saw coming, Nantucket is trending for something other than beach cottages, billionaires, and summer weddings.

New wastewater testing shows that the island’s sewage contains cocaine levels far higher than national and regional averages, and the internet is struggling to process that information.

According to reports from the Inquirer and Mirror, researchers identified two major spikes in cocaine traces, one in October and another in December. During both periods, the levels surged to nearly three times the U.S. average, setting off alarm bells and sparking a wave of online reactions.

Wastewater testing doesn’t track individuals or specific households. Instead, it measures the chemical byproducts left behind after substances pass through the human body. In other words, this isn’t speculation or hearsay. It’s data. And critics argue that’s exactly why it’s so revealing.

Local health officials say the findings will be used to support “behavioral health partners,” framing the testing as a public health tool rather than a scandal. The goal, they say, is to better understand community-wide trends and direct resources where they’re needed most.

Still, many people aren’t convinced that the results can be brushed off so easily. Online reactions have been blunt, with commenters pointing out that sewer data doesn’t lie, minimize, or self-report. It simply shows what people are actually consuming, whether they talk about it publicly or not.

That’s where the fascination really takes hold.

Nantucket has long been seen as a symbol of extreme wealth, an idyllic island where money softens edges and problems seem far away. So the idea that significant cocaine use is showing up beneath that polished image has people questioning what life on the island is really like behind closed doors.