Illicit drug deaths surpass last year’s total

The number of deaths in the city from overdoses on illicit drugs is continuing to climb.

There were 29 such deaths as of the end of August, seven more than were recorded for all of 2017, according to an update from the B.C. Coroners Service.

“Things have gotten much worse in Prince George,” said Northern Health public health officer Dr. Andrew Gray.

He said an unpredictable drug supply appears to be a culprit.

“A lot of people know they’re getting fentanyl now but the dose is so unpredictable,” Gray said. “That’s what really drives the overdose risk.”

A form of opioid, the drug is considered 100 times more potent than heroin and has been the source of a surge in overdose deaths large enough for authorities to call it a health care crisis in the province.

Northern Health’s strategy for preventing deaths includes distribution of takehome kits of naloxone which counters the effects of fentanyl. They’re distributed out of the harm reduction clinic at Third and George, which can also test drugs for their contents and provide a place for addicts to use their drugs and be treated immediately should they suffer an overdose.

More clients are getting access to suboxone and methadone to help wean them off opioids.

And with some funding from the provincial government, Northern Health is in the process of establishing a community action team made up of representatives from a number of different organizations to try to come up with a shared strategy.

A little empathy can also go a fair way, according to Gray.

“One of the limiting factors for us to mounting a complete response to this is stigma and criminalization,” Gray said.

“People are trying to cope with their pain and generally speaking, that’s why (they become addicted)... the pain that arises due to severe childhood trauma or to physical injury.

“There is more and more discussion of these issues in our society as a result of this crisis, which is one good thing.

“But having compassion and understanding the struggles that people are going through and why they make the choices they do is one of the most important things for us to really get to the bottom of this emergency.”