Illicit drug overdose deaths climbing in B.C. despite official efforts
VANCOUVER — The death toll from illicit drugs will likely continue rising because of stronger opioids, an onerous federal law, and accidental overdoses among people who unwittingly take a killer pain medication, says British Columbia’s medical health officer.
Dr. Perry Kendall said a record-number of fatal overdoses have officials in several cities across the province urging the federal government to approve facilities where drug use is supervised and overdoses can be reversed.
The BC Coroners Service released figures Wednesday showing there were 622 fatal overdoses from illicit drugs between January and October compared with 397 during the same period last year.
The powerful painkiller fentanyl was detected in about 60 per cent of all illicit drug deaths between Jan. 1 and Sept. 30, triple the number during the same months in 2015.