Last year saw British Columbia record the fewest deaths due to toxic drugs since 2020, according to new data from the B.C. Coroners Service.
But the death toll remains high, with 2,253 lives lost last year.
The coroners service said the number of deaths was a 13-per cent drop over 2023, but it remains well above the 1,776 fatalities reported in 2020.
“The information collected by our coroners during their investigations into unregulated drug toxicity deaths, indicates a decline in fatalities over the last several months of 2024. This is consistent with reporting from other jurisdictions in Canada and internationally,” chief coroner Dr. Jatinder Baidwan, chief coroner said in a media release.
“This doesn’t mitigate the fact that 2,253 members of our communities died in 2024, leaving behind grieving loved ones, friends, colleagues and teammates. Our thoughts are with all of those many, many people who have been touched by this crisis.”
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The majority of the deaths were among men (75 per cent) and people aged 30 to 59 years old (70 per cent).
The coroners service said fentanyl and its analogues remain the main driver of drug deaths, and were detected in 78 per cent of samples. Cocaine (52 per cent), fluorofentanyl (46 per cent) methamphetamine (43 per cent) and bromazolam (41 per cent) were the next most common.
The communities with the highest per-capita death rate were Vancouver centre-north, Lillooet, Campbell River, Terrace and Prince George.
More than 16,000 people have died due to toxic drugs since the province declared a public health emergency in 2016.
