Toxic Drug Deaths In B.C. Surpass 1,600 In 2022

Toxic drugs claimed the lives of at least 171 British Columbians in September, putting the province on track to surpass 2,000 such deaths for a second consecutive year.

That’s according to data released by the BC Coroners Service.

Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe says both those who use drugs occasionally and those who are substance-dependent are at risk of sudden death from the unpredictable illicit market.

Last week, Island Health issued a Drug Poisoning/Overdose Advisory for the Campbell River area.

The 171 deaths in September is roughly the same as the total reported in August and is equivalent to about 5.7 deaths per day. A total of 1,644 lives have been lost to toxic drugs between January and September, which is the largest number ever recorded in the first nine months of a calendar year. 71% of deaths so far this year are among those between the ages of 30 and 59, and 79% of them were male.

September is the 24th consecutive month in which at least 150 deaths suspected to have been caused by illicit drug toxicity were reported to the BC Coroners Service.

Illicit drug toxicity is the leading cause of unnatural death in British Columbia and is second only to cancers in terms of years of life lost.