Transit Police are joining the growing list of first responders to carry naloxone kits.
More than 100 officers have been trained to administer the anti-opioid drug and today they will be deployed with the kits for the first time.
Right now, Transit Police have 40 kits and are expecting to be given 175 more.
New numbers released by the B.C. Coroners Service this week revealed 128 people died from illicit drug use in November, averaging four people a day.
The majority of people are dying due to fentanyl use. From Jan. 1 through Oct. 31, the coroners service says fentanyl was detected in 374 cases, which is about 60 per cent of all illicit drug deaths. That is almost triple the number of fentanyl-detected deaths for the same period last year.
Funeral homes in B.C. are also being urged to supply naloxone kits on site for the safety of mourners and staff who may come into contact with the bodies of opioid overdose victims.
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