Victoria/Fraser Valley – March 2025 started with a slew of overdose drug alerts from Fraser Health, Island Health and Vancouver Coastal Health.
To no ones surprise, according to preliminary data, the deaths of 152 people due to unregulated drug toxicity were reported to the Coroners Service in January 2025.
January 2025 drug-toxicity deaths:
https://app.powerbi.com/viewr=eyJrIjoiMmFjMmUyYTMtYzZjNS00ZTUxLWIyMzctZGFmYjBlZDAwMjNiIiwidCI6IjZmZGI1MjAwLTNkMGQtNGE4YS1iMDM2LWQzNjg1ZTM1OWFkYyJ9
Youth Unregulated Drug Toxicity Deaths, 2019-2023: youth_unregulated_drug_toxicity_deaths_in_bc_2019-2023.pdf (gov.bc.ca)
Deaths among those between the age of 40 and 59 accounted for 50% of drug-toxicity deaths in the province, while three deaths were reported among children and youth under the age of 18.
From December 2024 to January 2025, deaths among males in B.C. climbed from approximately 73% (109) of deaths to 79% (120). In the same period, the deaths of 40 females were reported in December, compared with 32 in January.
Though January marks the fourth consecutive month in which the number of deaths reported to the BC Coroners Service attributed to unregulated drug toxicity was below 160, certain areas of the province saw an increase. That includes communities within Fraser Health (57) and Interior Health (21).
Consistent with reporting throughout the public health emergency, fentanyl and its analogues were the most common substances detected in expedited toxicology among unregulated drug deaths in January. More than three-quarters of decedents who underwent testing were found to have fentanyl in their body (77%), followed by methamphetamine (52%) and bromazolam (46%).
