Lower Kootenay Band walks 5K to hospital for addictions awareness – Kimberley Bulletin
Nov 26, 2024
Indigenous communities hit hard by toxic drug crisis since 2016
The toxic drug crisis continues to claim hundreds of lives every year in B.C.
Last year, a record high of 2,511 deaths were reported, an average of nearly seven people per day. And according to the provincial government, unregulated drug toxicity is the leading cause of death for persons aged 30 to 59, which is more than homicides, suicides, accidents, and natural disease combined.
Since the public-health emergency was first declared in April 2016, Indigenous communities remain disproportionately affected by the toxic drug crisis, due to systemic racism creating barriers to health care. Despite being only 5.9 per cent of the population, Indigenous people account for 17.7 per cent of overdoses.
