The numbers are in, and it's not looking good for those fighting against the current drug overdose epidemic plaguing the province.
A total of 914 people died in 2016 as a result of illicit drug use — an 80 per cent increase over last year, according to the latest statistics provided by the BC Coroners Service, Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General.
December saw the highest number ever recorded in a single month in the province with 142 persons dying as a result of illicit drug use, an average of nine every two days.
The year-end data show that more than half of all illicit drug deaths involved persons between the ages of 30 and 49. Four out of five who died were men.
The BC Coroners Service did not release a new report on the proportion of deaths in which fentanyl was detected as it does not yet have available the year-end fentanyl detected data for 2016. It is anticipated that data will be available sometime in March.
Said chief coroner Lisa Lapointe said given the increasing risk of contaminated drugs and the growing number of fatalities, the BC Coroners Service urges drug users to use
illicit drugs only in the presence of medical expertise or, at the very least, a sober person with access to, and training in, the use of naloxone.
"For those who are not drug dependent, we strongly advise you to avoid experimentation and the casual use of illicit drugs. The risks are now unmanageable."
Lapointe said these fatalities are not occurring only among those who use opioid drugs such as heroin. Cocaine and methamphetamines are also being found in a high percentage of fentanyl detected deaths in 2016.
In Williams Lake, the RCMP and Boys and Girls Club harm reduction co-ordinator Jordan Davis teamed up to warn residents of the dangers of illicit drug use last fall.
The educational campaign saw Davis, Staff Sgt. Del Byron and youth probation worker Kelly Culbert speak to students at both Lake City secondary's campuses, as well as host a public forum on the subject at city hall.
