The BC Coroners service has seen a sharp uptick in deaths over the last month and have decided to issue a new public health warning for those who use illicit substances.
On the heels of Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe’s retirement announcement last week, the Province announced that in 2023, toxic drug deaths are once again expected to reach new highs and break last year’s record numbers.
On Wednesday, December 13th, the BC Coroners Service provided an update ahead of the new year regarding the amount of people who have died this year from the toxic drug supply crisis.
“In its October 2023 update, the coroners service revealed that the province is expected to record an unprecedented number of unregulated drug-related deaths in 2023,” said the BC Coroners Service.
“Since that update was released, the number of deaths due to drug toxicity has increased above earlier indications.”
Typically, the BC Coroners Service does not supply the public with an update on toxic drug deaths around the holidays because they say they recognize how difficult this time of year is for those who have lost loved ones.
In lieu of an update on drug-death numbers, they are simply attempting to draw awareness to the increase in toxic drug related deaths which current information suggests is significant.
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“While data is still under review, preliminary indications suggest unregulated drug toxicity has caused more than 200 deaths in November 2023, and that the province has averaged about seven deaths per day for the past seven weeks,” said the BC Coroners Service.
Already this year, 2,039 people have died from toxic drug use and that number is already set to exceed last year’s record of 2,377 deaths.
Historically, drug deaths have usually increased in the winter months so the Province is pleading with British Columbians to not use drugs alone and to take advantage of every available support to keep themselves safe.
This includes initiatives such as safe consumption sites, overdose prevention sites and drug testing services, when available.
