A new report by the B.C. Coroners Service examining four years of illicit drug-related deaths says an increasingly toxic supply in the province is leading to increased deaths and that efforts to prohibit illegal drugs is only making the crisis worse.
The report, entitled B.C. Coroners Service Death Review Panel: A Review of Illicit Drug Toxicity Deaths, reviewed 6,007 deaths from illicit drug toxicity between Aug. 1, 2017, and July 31, 2021, and concludes that swifter action is needed to reduce the death rate in B.C.
“Illicit drug toxicity is the leading cause of unnatural death in B.C., accounting for more deaths than homicides, suicides,
