More than 1,500 people have now died in 2021 due to B.C.'s illicit drug supply: coroner

More than 330 people are believed to have died as a result of illicit drug usein British Columbiain August and September, according to the B.C. Coroners Service.

New statistics released Tuesday show that181 people died in August, followed by 152 in September. The coroner said it was the largest number of deaths from illicit drugs ever recordedfor those calendar months.

The latest reported fatalities bringthe death toll for the first ninemonths of theyear to 1,534 a 24per cent jump from the same period in 2020.

It also puts the provinceon track to eclipse last year's record high of 1,734.

More than 70per cent of those who've died this year from illicit drugs were between the ages of 30 and 59, while men accountedfor nearly 80 per cent of the total fatalities.

Deaths involving fentanyl accounted for 84per cent of the total, down slightly from 2020, but the report saiddeaths linked to extreme fentanyl concentrations jumped to 13 per cent from eight per cent.

The highly powerful opioid carfentanil has been detected in 137deaths so far this year, more than double the 65 recorded over the same period last year.

When B.C. declared a public health emergency in 2016 over the illicit drug supply, the death rate was 20.4 per 100,000 people.

The rate hasnow almost doubledto 39.7 per 100,000 people this year.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, B.C. had seen a decrease in deaths due to illicit drugs. But the that trend reversed during the pandemic, with illicit drug-poisoning deaths reaching an all-time high.

The latest statistics come days after the provincial government said itwould beapplying to the federal government to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of illicit drugs for personal use, in an effort to reduce and prevent futuredeaths.

The movewould make B.C. the first province in Canada to seek the exemption from Health Canada under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.

If approved, the allowable threshold for illicit drugs would be 4.5 grams and would apply to those aged 19 and over.

On Tuesday, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Sheila Malcolmsondescribedthe ongoing loss of life as "heartbreaking" and said she would be making an announcement later in the day about new treatment and recovery services in the province.

"At that time, I will be available to provide further comment on this latest report," she said in a written statement.

More resources for Fraser Health

Chilliwack mayor Ken Popovedescribes the overdose crisisin his city as "challenging."

"We may not have the highest number of deaths, but if you take it per capita, we are higher than both Surrey and Abbotsford," he told On the Coast host Gloria Macarenko.

"There's definitely a problem at this end of the valley."

The province announced Tuesday expanded treatment services for British Columbians living with addictions, with a special focus for people living in the Fraser Health region.

Malcomson, speaking during a late morning press conference, said the B.C. government is immediately adding 10 addiction-treatment beds at thePhoenix Societyin Surrey.

The beds are available to adults with severe substance-use dependency and moderate mental-health needs living anywhere in B.C., including those involved in the criminal justice system.

"People who use drugs continue to die and so clearly we must do more," said Malcomson.

The minister alsoannounced the creation of a new addictions medicine consult team at Burnaby Hospital.

Consultteams can provide constant addiction medicine expertise to hospitalized patients who need it andhelp people transition safely to substance-use services in the community, including outpatient clinics and access to medication,when their hospital stay ends.

The province is also funding another social worker to join existing teams at Surrey Memorial and Royal Columbian hospitals.

Fraser Health hospitals that do not have one of these teams will now benefit from a newexpansion of the Virtual Health Addictions Clinic (VHAC) that they can direct patients to.

Thisvirtual clinicopened in March and the province says it was at capacity due to high demand. Now, it is being expanded to offer services to more locations.

Popove said he's pleased with the province's new commitments.

"I think with more supports on the horizon, we should be able to be in better shape," he said.

Susan Wannamaker, executive vice president ofclinical service delivery with the Provincial Health Services Authority, said having these new resources available for people in need is a step in the right direction.

"We are not without hope," she said.

LISTEN | More than 1,500 have died in 2021 due to B.C.'s illicit drug supply:

Dangerous drug supply linked to record overdose deaths in B.C.

3 years ago

Duration 2:04

British Columbia set a record high for overdose deaths in the first nine months of 2021, something experts link to the illicit drug supply becoming more dangerous during the pandemic and more people using drugs alone.