Record-breaking 195 British Columbians died from toxic drugs in May, B.C. Coroners Service says

Trevor Halford, opposition critic for Mental Health and Addictions, called on the NDP government to address the toxic drug crisis more effectively.

“I extend my deepest condolences to the friends and family of the 195 people who tragically lost their lives to toxic drugs [in May],” Halford said. “People are dying at an alarming rate and it’s deeply disheartening to watch the crisis, which was declared a public health emergency more than six year ago, continue to get worse under the NDP government’s watch. The NDP has officially missed the deadline for every critical recommendation to date as set out by the B.C. Coroners Service Death Review Panel earlier this year. Not only has the NDP disregarded the urgent recommendations of the panel, but they have also yet to even accept the validity of the expert recommendations.”

Expedited toxicological testing further underscores the volatility of the toxic drug supply. Since it was first implemented in July 2020, results from the new expedited testing protocol have found that about 91 per cent of submitted samples have detected fentanyl and/or its analogues, 73 per cent have detected at least one stimulant, 19 per cent have detected at least one other opioid and 44 per cent have detected at least one benzodiazepine. Additionally, between July 2020 and May 2022, Etizolam was found in 40 per cent of suspected illicit drug toxicity deaths that have undergone expedited testing. Etizolam is a benzodiazepine analogue and non-opioid sedative that does not respond to naloxone and creates life-saving challenges for first responders.

Illicit drug toxicity is the leading cause of unnatural death in British Columbia.

“Every life lost to illicit drugs in our province is a preventable tragedy,” Lapointe said. “Panel members from the Coroners Service Death Review Panel into Illicit Drug Toxicity deaths recommended urgent action to address the terrible loss of life our province continues to experience. Recommended actions in their March 2022 report include a provincial framework for the distribution of safer drug supply, the development of a 30/60/90-day action plan with clear goals, targets and deliverable timeframes for reducing the number of drug toxicity deaths, and completing a framework for establishing a substance-use system of care. Responses to these recommendations have not yet been received.”

by Mike Vanden Bosch

Record-breaking 195 British Columbians died from toxic drugs in May, B.C. Coroners Service says

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