Illicit drug death toll surpasses 2,000 in B.C. for a 2nd consecutive year – CTV

Jan. 31, 2023

British Columbia reported 2,272 illicit drugs deaths in 2022, new data released by the BC Coroners Service shows.

The fatalities from the last two months of the year—the second consecutive one in which the province surpassed 2,000 lives lost—shows toxic drugs killed 182 people in November and another 210 in December.

While announcing the service’s latest findings Tuesday, Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe made a direct apology to people who have lost loved ones due to illicit drugs.

“I am so sorry – their lives mattered, and their deaths are our collective loss,” said Lapointe.

Approximately 6.4 deaths occurred daily last year on average, with people aged 30-59 representing 70 per cent of fatalities. That’s approximately the same daily death toll B.C. saw in 2021.

Read more: https://bc.ctvnews.ca/illicit-drug-death-toll-surpasses-2-000-in-b-c-for-a-2nd-consecutive-year-1.6253605