Toxic Drug Deaths In BC Near 200 In July

Updated reporting from the BC Coroners Service about unregulated drug toxicity deaths indicates at least 192 people died in July 2024.

Between January 2024 and July 2024, 1,365 lives were lost to drug toxicity, according to preliminary data.

“Unregulated toxic drugs continue to cause more loss of life in British Columbia than homicides, motor-vehicle incidents, suicides and natural disease combined, tragically equating to about 6.2 people losing their lives each day,” said Dr. Jatinder Baidwan, chief coroner.

“The unregulated drug market is volatile and continues to put people’s lives at grave risk each month.”

The data from July 2024 represents a 15% decrease from the same time a year ago.

Despite the decrease, people who use drugs in communities across B.C. face risk of significant injury or death. While the greatest number of deaths in 2024 have occurred in Vancouver, Surrey, and Greater Victoria, the highest rates of deaths have been reported in the health authorities of Northern (75.7 per 100,000) and Vancouver Island (53.4 per 100,000).

Saturday was International Overdose Awareness Day. Approximately 15,140 British Columbians have lost their lives to drug toxicity since this public-health emergency was declared in 2016.

Additional findings from the latest report include:

• Eighty percent of unregulated drug deaths in July 2024 were males, up from the year-to-date figure of 73%.
• The rate of female deaths in 2024 (22 deaths per 100,000 people) is almost double that from 2020 (13 per 100,000).
• Fentanyl was detected in nearly nine out of every 10 unregulated drug deaths.