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BC recorded 175 illicit drug toxicity deaths in June—an increase of four from May.
June drug deaths top May in all-time high
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BC recorded its highest-ever number of illicit drug toxicity deaths in June.
After 171 people lost their lives in May, the monthly number rose by four to 175 in June. BC has now recorded four consecutive months with over 100 illicit drug toxicity deaths.
“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,” said BC’s chief coroner Lisa Lapointe.
“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.”
Lapointe highlights the danger of the illicit drug market and urges clinicians to support those at risk of overdosing on toxic supply. Post-mortem toxicology testing data published in this most recent report again suggests an increase in the number of cases with extreme fentanyl concentrations (exceeding 50 micrograms per litre) in April, May and June compared with previous months.
The impact on First Nations people in BC from this crisis is higher than the rest of the province’s population.
“Indigenous people continue to be disproportionately impacted by this worsening crisis,” says Dr. Shannon McDonald, acting chief medical officer of the First Nations Health Authority. “Real change is needed and we could begin with more of what works, namely harm reduction and a safe drug supply. In the meantime, let us be kind to those who use substances to escape the pain they are living with and lovingly remember those we have lost.”
To view the illicit drug overdose death report, click here.
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