Record 914 deaths from illicit drug overdoses in B.C. last year

By Dirk Meissner, The Canadian Press

British Columbia reached a new peak of 914 illicit drug overdose deaths last year with the arrival of the deadly opioid fentanyl.

The figure is almost 80 per cent higher than the 510 overdose deaths due to illicit drugs in 2015.

The BC Coroners Service says December was the worst month at 142 deaths, the highest ever recorded in a month.

Chief coroner Lisa Lapointe said she recognizes that those who are dependent on illicit drugs aren’t going to be able to abstain, but she urged them to take the drugs in front of someone who has medical expertise or at least with a sober friend.

“For those who are not drug dependent, we strongly advise you to avoid experimentation and the casual use of illicit drugs. The risks are now unmanageable,” she said Wednesday in a news release.

She told reporters that an average of nine people every two days died from overdoses.

“We know that this represents suffering and devastation in communities across our province.”

The coroner’s service said fatalities aren’t just happening among those who use opioid drugs, such as heroin.

“Cocaine and methamphetamines are also being found in a higher percentages of fentanyl-detected deaths in 2016,” Lapointe said.

People aged 30 to 49 accounted for the largest percentage of overdose deaths last year, and males accounted for more than 80 per cent of the overall toll.

The government also announced Wednesday that it would spend another $16 million for more treatment services including beds, intensive outpatient services and the removal of financial barriers for medication to treat opioid addiction.

The B.C. government declared a public-health emergency last April in response to the crisis, setting off a series of preventative measures to try to slow the death toll.

The B.C. Centre For Disease Control also launched a take-home naloxone program for residents to reverse the effects of opioids.

The government announced late last year that overdose prevention sites would be established in communities across the province where people could take illicit drugs while being monitored by trained professionals equipped with naloxone.

Dr. Perry Kendall, the province’s chief medical health officer, said the number of deaths in 2016 is difficult to confront.

“This was unexpected and disheartening,” he said. “We still have not as yet been able to reverse the trend. This is frankly a North America-wide problem.”

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