The BC Coroners Service says that 333 people have died as a result of a suspected illicit drug overdose in the months of August and September.
Broken down further, there were 181 overdose deaths in August, a near record in any one month for B.C., and were 152 deaths in September.
With 1,534 deaths through the first nine months of this year, that’s the highest number of illicit drug overdose deaths ever for B.C. in the first nine months of any calendar year. It also represents a 24 per cent increase compared to the same time period last year.
In Kamloops, there have been 15 suspected fatal overdoses in the past two months, with now 50 of those deaths in the first nine months of this year. That means 2021 is now the second-worst year on record for fatal overdoses in Kamloops, with still three months left to report for the calendar year. There were a record 60 fatal overdoses in the city in 2020.
Only five B.C. cities have seen more fatal overdoses this year than Kamloops, those being Burnaby (58), Abbotsford (60), Victoria (103), Surrey (188) and Vancouver (355). Kelowna has also seen 50 overdose deaths this year.
The Thompson-Cariboo health region has seen 104 overdose deaths this year, compared to 101 for all of last year. It has the second-highest overdose death rate per capita in B.C., behind only Vancouver. The Thompson-Cariboo health region covers communities including Kamloops, Merritt, Salmon Arm, Revelstoke, Clearwater, Ashcroft, Lytton, Williams Lake and communities in between.
“Our province is in the sixth year of this public health emergency, and the death rate due to toxic drugs has never been higher,” chief coroner Lisa Lapointe says. “Criminalizing those who use substances has done nothing to address this complex health issue and has resulted in greater suffering and marginalization. How many more deaths are we willing to accept to maintain drug policies and laws that have no basis in evidence?”
Last week, the B.C. government applied to the federal government decriminalize possession of illicit drugs for personal use, so long as the amount a person has is 4.5 grams or less. Lapointe says that is an essential step to addressing the drug toxicity crisis – one of many more that are still needed, including more efficient drug-checking services and broader access to safe supply.
The Coroners Service says 333 deaths in the past two months equates to about 5.5 overdose deaths per day. The service says overdose is now the leading cause of unnatural death in B.C.
