Six more people died of suspected unregulated drug overdose last month in Langley, bringing the total to 31 so far this year.
Last month, there have been 174 suspected unregulated drug deaths across B.C. – a rate of 5.6 deaths per day – according to the most recent report by the BC Coroners Service released Monday, Sept. 25.
It’s a number that will likely increase until the end of this year.
The month’s total represents an eight per cent decrease from the number of deaths in August 2022, and a 14 per cent drop from those in July 2023, but Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe said the crisis is no less extreme.
“We are continuing to lose members of our communities in heartbreaking numbers,” she said in a statement on Monday.
So far this year, 1,645 people have died, representing the leading cause of death for British Columbians aged 10 to 59. In fact, more people in that age category die from toxic drugs than all homicide, suicide, accident and natural disease deaths combined.
The majority of toxic drug deaths in 2023 continue to be among people aged 30 to 59 (70 per cent) and men (78 per cent).
The townships with the highest number of deaths this year so far are Vancouver, Surrey, and Greater Victoria.
In comparison, as of the end of August there have been 141 deaths in Surrey, 33 in the Tri-Cities, 26 in New Westminster, and 20 in Mission.
And in 80 per cent of the deaths in 2023 within the Fraser Health Authority, fentanyl was detected.
In Langley, 44 people died in 2022, and 58 in 2021, which was Langley’s previous worst year.
Since the toxic drug supply was declared a provincial health crisis in B.C., 294 people have died due to the unregulated supply – including last month’s losses.
Before the crisis began around 2015, sparked by widespread use of the powerful opioid fentanyl in street drugs, between five and 10 people were dying of overdoses and toxic drugs per year in Langley.
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