B.C. lost 165 people to toxic drugs in March
Toxic drugs claimed the lives of 165 British Columbians in March of 2022.
March marked the 18th consecutive month where more than 150 British Columbians lost their lives to the toxic drug supply.
The B.C. Coroners Service stated that the 165 suspected drug toxicity deaths is the second highest number of deaths on record for March, down five per cent from the 174 recorded in March of 2021.
The deaths this past March were also down five per cent from the 174 in February of 2022.
The data released from the Coroners Service did not include specific figures for Vernon, but did have numbers for Interior Health and the Okanagan health area.
The report stated that the Interior had 27 deaths linked to illicit toxic drugs in March, bringing the year-to-date total to 93. The data shows that in March of 2021 there were 29 deaths linked to toxic drugs in the Interior, but in the first three months of that year there were a total of 83 deaths.
The report also stated that the Okanagan health area has had a total of 41 deaths linked to illicit drugs in the first three months of 2022, after 11 deaths were confirmed in the area in March.
Also included in the report was data for Kelowna and Kamloops, which have so far recorded 17 and 25 toxic drug deaths respectively this year.
The Coroners Service noted that 74 per cent of British Columbians who died due to toxic drugs in 2022 were between the ages of 30 and 59, and 77 per cent were male.
It was also stated that 85 per cent of illicit toxic drug deaths occurred inside, with 57 per cent occurring in private residences and 28 per cent in other residences including social and supportive housing, hotels, shelters, and other indoor locations.
No deaths have been reported at supervised consumption or drug overdose prevention sites, and the B.C. Coroners Service said there is no indication that prescribed safe supply is contributing to illicit drug deaths.
To date, 548 British Columbians have lost their lives to toxic drugs in 2022.