B.C. sets grim record with 2,511 toxic drug deaths in 2023 – CBC
Toxic drug deaths in B.C. last year climbed to almost 7 per day
Jan 24, 2024
The B.C. Coroners Service says there were more than 2,500 suspected illicit drug deaths in the province last year, the highest annual number recorded.
In announcing the grim number, B.C.’s chief coroner Lisa Lapointe renewed her plea for an expansion of safer supply and a “systems change” that treats substance use as a health issue, not a criminal problem.
“More people than ever are dying,” said Lapointe in her final public address before retiring next month.
“Each day, coroners across B.C. go into communities and retrieve the bodies of the dead. More than 2,500 families who lost a loved one this year didn’t know they’d be among the statistics. How many more will join these statistics next year?”
