Toxic drug deaths in B.C. surpass 1,600 in 2022 as Ottawa commits $5M to helping people with chronic pain – CBC
At least 171 British Columbians died due to toxic drugs in September, coroner says
Nov 07, 2022
The federal government has announced new tools to help people manage chronic pain in an effort to stem the rate of deaths due to illicit toxic drugs in British Columbia.
The announcement comes the same day the B.C. Coroners Service released its monthly overdose death report, which found at least 171 people died from toxic drugs in B.C. in September.
That means at least 1,644 people have died so far this year — putting the province on track to surpass 2,000 annual deaths for the second year in a row.
“British Columbians are continuing to suffer the tragic effects of a toxic and volatile drug supply, with almost six members of our communities dying each day,” chief coroner Lisa Lapointe wrote in a statement.
