Victoria is expected to announce today further measures to combat addiction issues after B.C.’s toxic illicit drug supply claimed the lives of more than 1,204 people from January to July.
In July alone, 184 people died, pushing the average daily overdose death rate to six.
“The heartbreak being experienced by another five or six more families in our province each and every day cannot continue,” chief coroner Lisa LaPointe said as she urged further action from Victoria.
The new numbers make July the second-deadliest month on record in B.C. for drug toxicity, only two fewer than the 186 deaths recorded in June 2020.
In the first seven months of 2021, 1,204 suspected drug toxicity deaths have been recorded, the highest number experienced in B.C. from January through July in any calendar year. That’s 26% more than the previous high of 954 deaths recorded between January and July 2017.
July is the 17th consecutive month in which more than 100 British Columbians have died from toxic drugs.
LaPointe called the numbers “a stark reminder of the tragic and unrelenting trajectory of this public health emergency.”
The significant drivers of the death toll remain fentanyl and its analogues, which were detected in 86% of all illicit drug toxicity deaths in 2020 and 2021 to date.
Since the public health emergency was declared, the death rate due to toxic drugs in B.C. has almost doubled from 20.4 per 100,000 in 2016 to 39.7 per 100,000 in 2021.
“Clearly, the scale of this public health emergency requires an urgent, coordinated and multifaceted health-system response,” Lapointe said. ͞”Those at risk of dying come from all walks of life and live in every part of our province. If we truly want to save lives, an accessible range of solutions that reflects the breadth and scope of this crisis is urgently needed.”
LaPointe said solutions could include drug-checking services, safe consumption sites, meaningful access to life-saving safe supply and the implementation of evidence-based standards of practice for the treatment of problematic substance use.
Quick facts about B.C.'s overdose crisis
• 72% of those who have died as a result of suspected drug toxicity in 2021 were between 30 and 59, and 79% were male;
• So far this year, 84% of illicit drug toxicity deaths have occurred inside (55% in private residences and 29% in other residences, including social and supportive housing, SROs, shelters, hotels and other indoor locations) while 15% occurred outside in vehicles, sidewalks, streets, parks, etc;
• The health authorities with the highest rates of death per 100,000 population are Vancouver Coastal (47.2) and Northern Health (45.6) and;
• Deaths due to drug toxicity remain the leading cause of unnatural death in B.C.
This story will be updated later today.
