1,700 British Columbians killed by unregulated toxic drugs in first 9 months of 2024

The BC Coroners Service says that in the first nine months of 2024, 1,700 people in the province were killed by the unregulated toxic drug supply.

In an update on Thursday, the BCCS says preliminary data shows that 187 people and 183 people were killed in August and September, respectively.

“The data for the first nine months of 2024 represents an 8% decrease from the number of deaths during the first nine months of 2023 (1,896). In both August and September, approximately six people died each day from suspected unregulated drugs,” the Coroners Service stated.

Almost half of the deaths were in people between the ages of 30 and 49, the BCCS shared, while just 1.1 per cent were 18 years old or younger.

More to come.

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