Overdose deaths in B.C. continue to climb

The unprecedented overdose death toll in British Columbia means it may be time to have a “courageous conversation” about decriminalizing the drugs that are killing so many people, says the province’s minister of addictions.

While decriminalizing drugs is a federal matter, Judy Darcy said Thursday the province is doing everything it can to stem the number of deaths.

“I think the fundamental issue here is we need to start treating addiction like a health issue,” she said, adding many people living with addictions are homeless or living in poverty.

“We need to be pouring on the supports so that we have a pathway to hope for people and so they don’t end up in the criminal justice system.”

The death toll from illicit drug overdoses reached 1,103 for the first nine months of this year, the coroners’ service said. In 2016, 982 people fatally overdosed in British Columbia.

The opioid fentanyl was detected in about 83 per cent of the deaths, representing a 147 per cent increase over the same period last year, it said.

In most cases, the powerful opioid painkiller was combined with other drugs, including cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine.

Darcy said removing the threat of being arrested for those who are caught using the drugs could be helpful.

“I think we should be prepared as a country to have a courageous conversation about it. In the meantime we are pushing the envelope and we are being bold and innovative in doing everything we can within the context of the present federal framework.”

The federal Health Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.