207 lives lost to illicit toxic drugs in B.C. in first month of 2022: coroner

British Columbia’s horrifying illicit drug overdose disaster continues to assert a number of lives each day, with the most recent statistics from the B.C. Coroners Service displaying 207 individuals died in January because of poisonous substances.

The numbers, launched Friday, replicate the third highest variety of deaths recorded in a calendar month — an common of greater than six deaths each day. 

January is the fourth consecutive month by which greater than 200 lives have been suspected misplaced to the illicit drug provide. In November and December, 210 and 215 deaths have been recorded, respectively, averaging about seven deaths per day.

In 2021, a complete of two,224 illicit-drug deaths have been recorded, making it the deadliest 12 months to this point. The most recent numbers present 2022 may very well be on observe to be as, or extra, catastrophic.

The vast majority of individuals dying, in response to the info, are males between the ages of 30 and 59, whereas 85 per cent of the deaths occurred indoors.

Better toxicity

Whereas illicit-drug toxicity demise charges stay excessive all through the province, the most recent information reveals there have been notable will increase in smaller- and medium-sized communities.

Eleven recorded deaths in Kamloops in January made it the third most affected municipality in B.C. behind solely Vancouver and Surrey. Within the Northern Well being area, 19 individuals died final month, equating to a demise charge of 74.5 per 100,000 residents, by far the very best charge of any well being authority area.

Publish-mortem toxicology outcomes additionally confirmed the volatility and toxicity of the drug provide has elevated. 

Between November 2021 and January 2022, roughly 23 per cent of exams confirmed excessive ranges of fentanyl, in comparison with 13 per cent of outcomes between April 2020 and October 2021.

Each Northern Well being, at 29 per cent, and Vancouver Coastal Well being, at 27 per cent, recorded a proportion of circumstances of utmost toxicity that exceeded the common for the province.

Looking for protected provide

B.C.’s chief coroner Lisa Lapointe reiterated the necessity for a safer drug provide in an issued assertion, as many advocates, lecturers and well being specialists have been doing because the disaster started.

“We all know that illicit substances in our province are poisonous and that these depending on them are susceptible to severe harms and demise,” Lapointe stated.

“Making certain entry to safer provide, establishing a substance use system of care, and turning the main focus away from punishing and stigmatizing are crucial steps to resolving this public well being emergency.

The coroners’ service says no deaths have been reported at supervised consumption or drug overdose prevention websites and there’s no indication that prescribed protected provide contributes to overdose deaths.

Minister of Psychological Well being and Addictions Sheila Malcolmson stated in an announcement Friday that the province is aware of the poisonous drug disaster should be tackled “from all angles,”

“We’re swimming in opposition to a rising tide of want however we have to hold going and hold working collectively. There’s way more to do, and we cannot cease working till we flip this disaster round,” learn the minister’s assertion, partially.

Talking on the problem in early February, Malcolmson stated the province has made “historic” investments and systemic adjustments to assist, together with authorizing nurses to prescribe protected options to poisonous avenue medication and financing lots of of remedy beds.