“Deaths due to drug toxicity are preventable, and I urge our political leaders at all levels to collaborate on a thoughtful, comprehensive plan that puts people first. This crisis, driven primarily by unregulated fentanyl, has cost our province dearly in the loss of much-loved and valued members of our communities. We cannot bring our deceased loved ones back, but we can and must do much more to protect the lives of tens of thousands of our family members, friends, and colleagues still at risk.”
-- Lisa Lapointe, BC’s Chief Coroner
The BC Coroners Service confirms that toxic unregulated drugs claimed the lives of at least 2,511 British Columbians in 2023.
In the eight years since April 2016, when a public health emergency was officially declared because of the soaring number of overdoses in BC, the lives of over 14,000 British Columbians have been tragically cut short.
Due to unregulated illicit substances, 14,000 families in British Columbia buried loved ones and struggled to pick up the pieces after losing a child, spouse, parent, or friend. The total number of lives lost in 2023 equates to an average of 6.9 deaths every single day. Overdose deaths have become the leading cause of death in British Columbia for people aged 10 to 59, accounting for more deaths than homicides, suicides, accidents, and natural diseases combined.
In the Northern BC, we see unique and deadly risks that are leaving communities facing unprecedented loss. Outside Vancouver’s downtown east side, the highest rates of fatal overdose were in the Northern Health region, with 67 deaths per 100,000 individuals.
Like many people, I feel like I have become numb to these statistics. While I used to gather in circles and speak the names of those I have lost, I now struggle to even keep track of the number of beautiful souls who have been stolen from us. To address this devastation, we need to take an honest look at the stigma and backlash that substance users face in BC. There is a need for collective and real response to this outrageous crisis.
What has now become a political platform is for many of us a day-to-day battle with crushing grief and terror for who we will lose next. We need to stop seeing substance use as an ethical or moral failure, and recognize the need to shift how we treat drug policy and health care provision for people who use substances in BC.
For information on services and resources offered in your community, visit Northern Health’s Overdose Prevention page. You can also visit Toward the Heart for information on how to use Naloxone in the event of an overdose.
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