British Columbia sees record number of deaths from drug overdoses in January

The British Columbia Coroners Service reported 165 illicit drug toxicity deaths in January, the largest-ever number of lives lost in the first month of a calendar year, according to a press release issued on Tuesday.

Lisa Lapointe, the chief coroner at the British Columbia Coroners Service, said in the press release that the amount of fatal drug overdoses in the province has been disturbing.

"These figures are heartbreaking, both in scale and for the number of families who are grieving the loss of a loved one," said Lapointe. "In the fifth year of this public health emergency, there is virtually no community in the province that hasn’t been touched by this devastating loss of life."

An average of 5.3 lives were lost each day in January due to the toxic drug supply in British Columbia, a death rate of 38.1 per 100,000 people. January is the tenth consecutive month where more than 100 deaths were attributed to the toxic drug supply.

There were 18 percent of suspected deaths in January that had extreme levels of fentanyl concentration, the largest number recorded to date.

The British Columbia Coroners Service describes an extreme level of fentanyl concentration as greater than 50 micrograms per litre.

Fourteen deaths were documented in which carfentanil, a more fatal version of fentanyl, was detected, which is an increase from the December total of nine and the largest monthly figure since May 2019.

There have been recent increases among fatal drug overdoses where unprescribed benzodiazepines and other versions, including etizolam, were discovered. Etizolam has been identified in 31 per cent of fatal drug overdoses where expedited testing has been performed since July. Benzodiazepines and its versions were detected in 49 percent of all samples tested.

Adding etizolam to fentanyl increases the likelihood of an overdose because of the combined respiratory depressant effects.

Lapointe said governments need to take action to address the opioid crisis in British Columbia.

"We’re particularly concerned about the toxicity of the drugs detected in many of the deaths recorded in January," she said. "The findings suggest that the already unstable drug supply in BC is becoming even deadlier, underscoring the urgent need for supervised consumption options, prescribing for safe supply, and accessible treatment and recovery services."

British Columbia Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Sheila Malcolmson said in a statement that she sends her thoughts and prayers to people who have lost loved ones from fatal drug overdoses.

"Stigma is driving people to use alone, and the pandemic is pushing people further into isolation," said Malcolmson. "We stepped up our response to these emergencies as quickly as possible in B.C., but the effects of the pandemic on the illicit drug supply chain has made drugs dramatically more toxic than a year ago and, tragically, more lethal."

Malcolmson said addressing mental health and addictions is a priority of the British Columbia government. She will continue to work to add more treatment and recovery options, increase services and supports for communities throughout the province, and collaborate with the Canadian government to move forward on decriminalizing personal drug usage.