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By Liam Verster

184 deaths, 2 in Vernon

July was the second-deadliest month on record in B.C.’s toxic drug crisis

Sep 29, 2021 | 10:11 AM

The B.C. Coroners Service reports that 1,204 British Columbians have died as a result of toxic drugs in 2021 so far, after 184 deaths were confirmed in July.

The July deaths represent the second-deadliest month on record for B.C. drug toxicity, the deadliest month on record was in June of 2020, when 186 British Columbians died due to drug poisoning.

July 2021 is the 17th consecutive month that saw more than 100 British Columbian’s lives claimed by toxic drugs.

Data from the Coroners Service shows that there have been 18 illicit drug deaths in Vernon first seven months of 2021, up by two from the June 2021 report. Kelowna had three deaths recorded in July, bringing the death-toll there up to 35. A total of 85 toxic drug deaths have been recorded in the Okanagan area this year.

“The deaths of another 184 of our community members in July is a stark reminder of the tragic and unrelenting trajectory of this public health emergency,” said Lisa Lapointe, chief coroner.

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“We know that the loss of each of these individuals leaves a devastated circle of family and friends who are grieving the preventable death of a cherished loved one.”

The Coroners Service reports that fentanyl and it’s analogues have been detected in 86 per cent of all illicit drug deaths in 2020 and 2021.

The report also states that 72 per cent of those whose lives were lost to drug poisoning in 2021 were between the ages of 30 and 59, and that 79 per cent of them were males.

To date, 84 per cent of illicit drug deaths recorded in 2021 occurred inside, 55 per cent were within private residences and 29 per cent were in other residences including social and supportive housing, single room occupancies, shelters, hotels and other indoor locations. The remaining deaths occurred outside in vehicles, sidewalks, streets and parks.

Drug toxicity continues to be the leading cause of unnatural death in British Columbia.

“Clearly, the scale of this public health emergency requires an urgent, co-ordinated and multi-faceted health-system response,” Lapointe said.

“Those at risk of dying come from all walks of life and live in every part of our province. If we truly want to save lives, an accessible range of solutions that reflects the breadth and scope of this crisis is urgently needed. This would include drug-checking services, safe consumption sites, meaningful access to life-saving safe supply and the implementation of evidence-based standards of practice for the treatment of problematic substance use. The heartbreak being experienced by another five or six more families in our province each and every day cannot continue.”

In a release addressing the new report from the B.C. Coroner’s Service, Sheila Malcomson, the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, said a lot of work is happening to make “large, systemic changes” to address the health crisis and reduce the number of preventable drug deaths in B.C.

“So, while toxic drugs are circulating, we are asking people to look out for one another and help keep our friends and family members who use drugs alive. Knowing how to access an overdose prevention or safe consumption site and carrying naloxone can save someone’s life today, and we are continuing to add more overdose prevention services,” said Malcomson.

“The big changes we’re working on will save many lives in the longer-term. This includes more and varied services that address the root causes of addiction, decriminalization to stop the stigma against people who use drugs and a prescribed safer supply to separate people from poisoned street drugs.”