Fraser Valley/Victoria – Preliminary reporting released by the BC Coroners Service shows that the toxic drug supply claimed the lives of at least 169 British Columbians in August 2022, bringing the total number of lives lost in the calendar year to 1,468.
The 169 suspected illicit drug toxicity deaths in August represent a 12% decrease from the total reported in July 2022 (193), and equate to about 5.5 deaths per day. So far in 2022, 71% of those dying from toxic drugs were between 30 and 59, and 78% were male.
At least 150 illicit drug-related deaths have been recorded in B.C. in every month since October 2020, with the exception of June 2022, when 149 deaths were reported. During that 23-month period, an average of 184 lives have been lost each month.
Illicit drug overdose death report (data to Aug. 31, 2022):
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/birth-adoption-death-marriage-and-divorce/deaths/coroners-service/statistical/illicit-drug.pdf
