The B.C. Coroners Service is reporting at least 192 deaths related to toxic drugs in March, bringing the total lives lost in the first three months of the year to at least 572.
More than 14,400 people in the province have now lost their lives to toxic drugs since a public health emergency was first declared in April 2016.
“These were people with hopes, dreams and stories cut tragically short by a crisis that continues to challenge us deeply,” Mental Health and Addictions Minister Jennifer Whiteside said in a statement.
“We remember not only those we’ve lost, but also their families and friends left to grieve.”
The numbers for March equate to 6.2 deaths per day. They mark an 11 per cent decrease from March 2023, when 215 people or almost seven each day died from toxic drugs.
Unregulated drug toxicity remains the leading cause of death among British Columbians aged between 10 and 59, the coroner says — more than murders, suicides, accidents and natural causes combined.
The service says that so far in 2024, 70 per cent of toxic drug deaths have been people between the ages of 30 and 59. Three-quarters of those lost have been men, but the coroner warns that the number of female deaths is climbing.
So far this year, 84 per cent of toxic drug deaths have happened indoors: 47 per cent in private homes, and 37 per cent inside places like supportive housing, SROs, shelters and hostels.
Vancouver, Surrey and Nanaimo have the highest numbers of toxic drug deaths in 2024.
Last month, the province announced big changes to its drug decriminalization program, which was introduced in January 2023 as a three-year pilot.
The program allowed adult drug users in B.C. to carry up to 2.5 grams of opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine and ecstasy for personal use without facing criminal charges, with the goal of reducing stigma and helping drug users access support.
The provincial government has now recriminalized the use of drugs in public places including hospitals, on transit and in parks.
“Our communities are facing big challenges. People are dying from deadly street drugs and we see the issues with public use and disorder on our streets,” Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth said in a statement on April 26.