The BC Coroners Service says nearly three people died every day from illicit drug overdoses across the province last year.

Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe says there were 981 suspected illicit drug overdose deaths in 2019, similar to the 990 in 2016, when the provincial health emergency was declared. It is a 36 per cent decrease from the 1,542 overdose deaths in 2018, and the 1,495 deaths in 2017.

“Those who died of drug toxicity this year are more than statistics,” said Lapointe. “They are people. They had hopes and dreams and challenges, just like the rest of us. They were loved and they are missed.”

“We need to keep focused on the terrible losses we are experiencing in our communities.”

In Kamloops, there were 27 overdose deaths last year, down from the 46 in 2018. In all, more than 5,000 people have died across B.C. since 2016.

The Coroners Service says more than four out of every five deaths last year had fentanyl detected in a post-mortem testing.

As before, middle-aged men continued to be over-represented in the statistics, with more than three quarters of the suspected overdose deaths involving men, with nearly three-quarters involving people between the ages of 30 and 59.

Eighty-seven per cent of deaths continue to happen indoors, with more people dying on the days immediately following the income assistance payments.

“The decrease in the number of British Columbians dying from this crisis is encouraging and indicates that our harm-reduction measures to keep people alive are working,” noted Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry.

“We are in no way out of this crisis yet. We continue to see very high rates of overdose events across the province and are seeing increased numbers of young people with long-lasting health effects after overdosing.”

Lapointe says the Coroners Service and other partners are calling for safe access to drugs, while also hoping that people change their thinking so that people who use drugs can get the help they need without the fear of being charged criminally.