The latest stats show Kamloops continues to have the highest rate of illicit drug deaths among communities in the BC Interior.

Statistics from the Chief Coroner’s office show 47 people have died of overdoses in Kamloops in the first half of 2022. The six month total is putting the city on-pace to well-surpass last year’s record total of 78 deaths.

Province-wide, nearly 1100 people have died from illicit drug overdoses so far this year. Only Vancouver, Surrey, Greater Victoria and Abbotsford have recorded more drug overdose deaths than Kamloops has so far this year.

Sheila Malcolmson, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, said every person who died this year due to the poisoned drug supply was important and represents a deep loss to our communities. “My heart goes out to everyone who is grieving. No words can replace these losses. The paramedics, police officers, peers and other first responders on the frontline of the toxic drug crisis save lives every single day, and our government is deeply grateful for their heroic work.”

“The coroner’s report shows how important our work is to reduce the risk of drug poisonings and to save lives. Clearly more is needed,” said Malcolmson. “Increasing illicit drug toxicity has outstripped BC’s unprecedented addition of new overdose prevention services.”

“We continue to confront this emergency from every angle, making the large, systemic changes necessary to turn the tide on this crisis. Although progress on building a system of care is being made, we know there is more to do.”

Malcolmson notes that in the first months of 2020, the concentration of fentanyl detected in illicit drug deaths was between 4% and 8%. In June 2022, it increased to 27%.

The BC government declared a public health emergency in the Spring of 2016 and more than 10,000 people have died from an overdose since that time.