May’s 170 illicit-drug deaths the most ever for B.C. in one month
British Columbia had 170 illicit drug deaths in May, the province’s highest monthly total.
The report, released Thursday by the B.C. Coroners Service, shows a 93 per cent rise in such deaths over May 2019, and a 44 per cent increase over this April.
“More British Columbians died of overdose in one month than died in the whole first wave of COVID-19,” said Guy Felicella, of the B.C. Centre on Substance Use. So far, 167 people have died of COVID-19 in B.C.
The previous high for deaths caused by toxic illicit drugs was 161 in December 2016.
But these deaths have risen during the pandemic, with over 100 in each of the past three months: 112 deaths in March and 117 in April.
The Coroners Service pointed to an increase in amounts of fentanyl found in the drug supply during this time. In April and May 2020, approximately 19 per cent of cases had extreme fentanyl concentrations, compared to nine per cent in the three months before.
“There’s been a strong push to reduce overdose deaths in B.C. ever since the health crisis was first declared in 2016, including increasing access to Naloxone and other life-saving measures,” said Jane Thornthwaite, the B.C. Liberal critic for mental health and addictions.
“However, the pandemic has left people without the same level of supports and it’s having tragic results.”
There have been 554 illicit-drug deaths in 2020 in British Columbia. No deaths have been reported at supervised consumption or drug overdose prevention sites.
“It is both sad and deeply frustrating to see the number of illicit-drug deaths reach a new high in B.C. four years after the declaration of a public health emergency,” said Lisa Lapointe, chief coroner.
“Despite the many collective efforts directed at this crisis, the toxic drug supply continues to take the lives of our family members, friends and colleagues.”