B.C. reports 153 drug toxicity deaths in November

B.C. recorded 153 suspected drug toxicity deaths in November — an 89-per-cent increase over the same period last year, the coroners service said Monday.

It was also a seven-per-cent drop from the number of deaths in October: 164.

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There have been 1,548 illicit drug deaths so far this year in B.C., the coroners service said, and monthly totals of drug-related deaths in each of the province’s five health authorities are at or near record highs.

Toxicology results from April to November show a “greater number of cases with extreme fentanyl concentrations” compared with previous months, according to the coroners service. Fentanyl or related substances have been detected in more than 80 per cent of illicit drug toxicity deaths this year.

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Chief coroner Lisa Lapointe said the COVID-19 crisis continues to contribute to an increasingly toxic drug supply and makes access to harm-reduction services more challenging.

The coroners service said 70 per cent of those who have died of suspected drug toxicity deaths this year were between the ages of 30 and 59, with men accounting for 81 per cent of deaths.

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