It's saddening news today regarding illicit drug overdose deaths not just in B.C., but in Prince George as well.
The BC Coroners Service says there were a total of 1,489 suspected illicit overdose deaths in 2018 throughout the province, adding the numbers will likely rise as more investigations are concluded.
In Prince George, the numbers are sobering.
Last year saw the numbers almost double at 46 illicit overdose deaths compared to 24 from 2017.
The numbers are as follows for the city since 2008:
- 2008 - 2
- 2009 - 4
- 2010 - 1
- 2011 - 6
- 2012 - 10
- 2013 - 7
- 2014 - 10
- 2015 - 12
- 2016 - 18
- 2017 - 24
- 2018 - 46
Northern Interior Medical Health Officer, Dr. Andrew Gray, says he's frustrated and saddened for the lives that have been lost due to illicit drug overdose deaths in Prince George.
“These data show that Prince George is second only to Vancouver in overdose mortality (per capita). I am grieving for the many lives lost and frustrated that this situation is not just persisting but worsening," he says. "Many lives have been saved by naloxone kits, overdose prevention sites, and improved access to treatment – the death toll would be significantly higher if these interventions weren’t available – and we will continue to pursue those efforts. And treatment is valuable, but is not effective for everyone."
But, according to Dr. Gray, all of this remains insufficient compared with the overwhelming impact of an increasingly toxic illicit drug supply.
"While there are significant legal and regulatory barriers to addressing this through providing people with a safer supply of drugs, there are pilots being conducted in Vancouver -- and I am eagerly awaiting the results, in hopes we can find a way to expand that approach to other parts of the province.”
Northern Health reported one of the highest rate of overdoses at 31 per 100,000 individuals, while Fraser Health and Vancouver Coastal Health reported the highest number of illicit drug overdose deaths last year with 501 and 434 respectively.
"Families and communities across the province are losing friends, neighbours and loved ones to illicit overdoses at an alarming rate. The illicit drug supply is unpredictable and unmanageable, and fentanyl is now implicated in 86% of overdose deaths," Lisa Lapointe, chief coroner, BC Coroners Service, says in a news release. "The almost 1,500 deaths in B.C. in 2018 due to illicit drug overdoses far outweigh the numbers of people dying from motor vehicle incidents, homicides and suicides combined. Innovative and evidence-based approaches are necessary if we want to effect meaningful change and stop the dying. We need to be prepared to do things differently to save lives."
The number of overdose death rates by health authority. (via BC Coroners Service)Eighty per cent of the total number were involving men, while 71 per cent involved people between the ages of 30 and 59.
Eighty-six per cent of deaths happened indoors, with more people dying in the days immediately after income assistance payments than all other days throughout the years.
Another shocking number released today: there was at least one illicit drug overdose death in 354 of the 365 days of 2018.
The three highest townships with the highest number of drug overdose deaths in 2018 were:
- Vancouver - 382
- Surrey - 210
- Victoria - 94
"My heart goes out to every family that has lost a loved one to overdose," Judy Darcy, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, says in a separate release. "This crisis truly shows us that people from all walks of life - professionals, people living in poverty, tradespeople and many other sectors - are all affected by addiction. By the end of this day, four people will die from an overdose in British Columbia. Most of these people will die alone - with no one beside them, no one to call for help. Each life lost is an unspeakable tragedy."
The Coroners service also adds there were no deaths at supervised consumption or drug overdose prevention sites.
