The BC Coroners Service is straying away from calling a fatal drug death an overdose.
Speaking on the NL Morning News, spokesman Andy Watson points out its most recent “illicit drug overdose death” report is now called an “illicit drug toxicity death” report.
“We’ve heard from a number of different partners across not only British Columbia but the national level. And in fact this was a discussion point when the chief medical examiners and chief coroners met earlier this year, just to talk about the stigma attached with the word overdose. One of the things that has come to our attention, as we’ve heard from different stakeholders and different partners, is that term can actually create even more stigma for those who are using substances,” Watson says.
“The rationale behind that is simply that it’s a little bit more accurate, it’s a little less stigmatizing. Because what we’re dealing with in British Columbia really is a toxic drug supply. And those that are using substances right now are coming across bad batches, and honestly when we’re looking four in every five deaths with fentanyl detected, we know that it’s the toxicity of the drug supply that’s killing people.”
In its most recent report on drug toxicity deaths, the BC Coroners Service says there were 462 fatalities between January and May, including 18 in Kamloops.