B.C. toxic drug deaths in 2023 approach record numbers

Numbers released by the BC Coroners Service show deaths from toxic, unregulated drugs have nudged record levels across the province for the second year in a row.

The coroners service says 596 lives were lost between January and March.

It says that’s the second-highest total ever recorded over the first three months of a calendar year, behind only 2022 when 599 people died.

The figures also show that 2,314 deaths due to toxic drugs occurred last year, making the annual toll the deadliest on record since a public health emergency was declared in 2016.

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The statement from the coroner’s service says just under 12,000 deaths have been caused by unregulated drugs in B.C. since then.

So far this year, the coroner’s service says 77 per cent of the nearly 600 victims have been men, with the majority between the ages of 30 and 59.