Overdoses suspected in seven deaths over a week

A total of seven people died of a suspected overdose in Vancouver during the week of Sept. 10, adding to the grim tally that keeps rising and seems to have no end.

The City of Vancouver says an estimated 265 people have died of a suspected overdose in Vancouver in 2018, putting it on par with 2017 figures, when 266 people died from an overdose between January and the end of August.

Suppliers and dealers continue to cut street drugs like heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine with potent adulterants, typically fentanyl, which coroners detected in 81 per cent of the deaths this year.

Last week’s deaths come weeks after Vancouver Coastal Health issued a warning to users that carfentanil had been detected in the local street drug supply. A synthetic opioid used commercially as an elephant tranquillizer, carfentanil is 10,000 times more potent than morphine and 50 to 100 times more potent than fentanyl.

Toxicology reports on the most recent deaths aren’t yet complete, and final overdose death numbers need to be confirmed by the B.C. Coroners Service.

“With the crisis showing no sign of slowing down, the city welcomes this month’s agreement by the federal and provincial governments to invest more than $70 million to improve and increase access to quality treatment services for substance-use disorder,” the City of Vancouver said in a statement. “The city is committed to continuing to work with partners to reduce stigma around drug use, helping society understand that addiction is a public health issue, while addressing the root causes of substance use such as trauma and mental-health issues. By reducing stigma, people are less likely to use drugs where there is no one around to help.”