More Than 1,700 Lives Lost To Drug Toxicity In First Nine Months Of 2024

Unregulated toxic drugs claimed the lives of 187 British Columbians in August and 183 in September, according to the BC Coroners Service.

The preliminary data finds that since January 2024, at least 1,749 people have died from unregulated drug toxicity in communities throughout the province.

The data for the first nine months of 2024 represents an 8% decrease from the number of deaths during the first nine months of 2023 (1,896).

In both August and September, approximately six people died each day from suspected unregulated drugs.

Additional findings from the latest report include:

• 48% of unregulated drug deaths in September were people between the ages of 30 and 49, while 1.1% were 18 years of age and below.
• 77% of unregulated drug deaths in September were males, up from the year-to-date figure of 74% in 2024.
• 26% of deaths related to unregulated drug toxicity were females in 2024.

Fentanyl was detected in 85% and stimulants in 81% of unregulated drug deaths in September that underwent expedited toxicological testing.

For more information, visit Government of British Columbia.