Preliminary reporting released by the BC Coroners Service confirms that toxic illicit drugs claimed the lives of at least 195 British Columbians in May.

Preliminary reporting released by the BC Coroners Service confirms that toxic illicit drugs claimed the lives of at least 195 British Columbians in May.

Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe says the province is, once again, on pace to lose a record number of lives in 2022.

At least 940 lives were lost to toxic drugs in B.C. between January and May, a record number for the first five months of a calendar year.

Following two months of a small decline, the 195 recorded deaths in May is the largest number ever recorded in that calendar month and is a 20% increase over the number of deaths reported in April.

The total number of deaths in the month equates to an average of about 6.3 deaths per day, making it the leading cause of unnatural death in British Columbia.

In March, the Coroners Service Death Review Panel into Illicit Drug Toxicity deaths recommended urgent action to address the issue, including a provincial framework for the distribution of safer drug supply, the development of a 30/60/90-day action plan with clear goals, targets and deliverable timeframes, and completing a framework for establishing a substance-use system of care.

Lapointe says they've received no responses to the recommendations.