There were fewer deaths from illegal drug overdoses in sa国际传媒 and Vernon last year than in 2023, newly-released statistics show, but there was a slight increase in Penticton.聽
There was a decline across both the Interior Health region and the province as聽聽whole, the BC Coroners Service says. Deaths due to illegal drug overdoses were down 13 per cent last year in sa国际传媒 compared with 2023.聽
鈥淭his is consistent with reporting from other jurisdictions in Canada and internationally,鈥 said chief coroner Dr. Jatinder Baidwan. 鈥淭his doesn鈥檛 mitigate the fact that 2,253 members of our community died in 2024, leaving behind grieving loved ones, friends, colleagues, and teammates.鈥
In sa国际传媒, 87 people died from an illegal drug overdose last year, compared to 104 in 2023, the most ever in a single year.聽
In Vernon, there were 42 such fatalities last year, compared to 56 in 2023. In Penticton, there were 26 illegal drug overdoses last year, compared to 24 in 2023, but down from the record number of 31 in 2022.聽
Throughout the Interior Health region, there were 392 deaths from illegal drug overdoses, compared to 436 in 2023 and 408 in2022.聽
Vancouver had the most such deaths last year, at 515, but that was done from 656 in 2023.聽
Seven of every 10 people who died from an illegal drug overdose were between the ages of 30 and 59, and three-quarters were men. Fentanyl was found in 78 per cent of expedited toxicological testing done in 2024.
Since the public health emergency was declared in April 2016, just over 16,000 British Columbians have died of an illegal drug overdose.聽
鈥淭he public health emergency touches every corner of our province,鈥 Health Minister Josie Osborne said. 鈥淎ddiction can be caused by many factors, including housing challenges, the cost of living, mental and physical pain, and intergenerational trauma.鈥
The NDP government is addressing the crisis by, among other things, expanding the number of substance abuse treatment beds across the province, Osborne said.聽