BC sets another record for overdose deaths

The record for monthly overdose deaths in British Columbia has been broken for the second time in two months.

The BC Coroners Service said 175 people died in June, surpassing the previous high of 171 deaths in May.

Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe said the deaths leave behind “grief and frustration” and stressed that the public health emergency has stretched into its fifth year.

She added: "We know the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted people who use drugs, as it has all British Columbians.

“Access to key harm reduction services has been a challenge and our social networks are smaller.”

She said opioids, cocaine and methamphetamine are among the drugs detected in overdose victims.

Fentanyl remains the “most significant driver” of deaths, she explained.

Lapointe added: "For those using substances – opioids or otherwise – please make sure you use only in the presence of someone who will call for immediate help if you need it, use at an overdose prevention or supervised consumption site, and have your drugs checked before using, if you can.

“The drug supply in our province is highly toxic and the risk of using alone is too high. Buddying up could save your life.”

So far in 2020, there have been 728 deaths from illegal drugs in the province.

"Creating a permanent, accessible safe supply and decriminalizing people who use drugs are both urgently needed to stop overdoses and should have happened long ago," said Guy Felicella, peer clinical advisor at the Overdose Emergency Response Centre and BC Centre on Substance Use.

"I'm tired of waiting for what's necessary when the calls for these changes have been made over and over again. And I'm tired of seeing people die while waiting for access to a safer supply or access to detox or to get into recovery. The waiting is killing people."