B.C. sees slight drop in toxic drug deaths, but is it a trend?

A shocking number of people continue to die from toxic drugs in British Columbia, although the latest figures from the B.C. Coroners Service suggest the yearly rate may be slowing. 

Unregulated drug deaths are down eight per cent through the first nine months of 2024, compared to the same time period last year. In raw numbers, that's 1,749 fatalities this year and 1,896 in 2023.

Vancouver Overdose Prevention Society executive director Sarah Blyth said she has seen a difference in the Downtown Eastside Vancouver community where their OPS operates. 

"You don't want to jinx yourself, but last year we saw a lot more overdose deaths [of people] that we knew in our community than we're seeing this year so far," she said.  

Blyth said she thinks the lower number of deaths this year could indicate that measures to address the toxic drug crisis are finally paying off.

"Over time, people have been working on solutions and drilling down to what can actually save lives. You know, an increase in overdose prevention sites, apps that save lives, education around never using alone, education to young people who might be at risk and don't understand," she said.

B.C. isn't the only jurisdiction where overdose deaths are down.

Health Canada is reporting a similar eight per cent drop nationally in the first three months of 2024, compared to the same period in 2023.

And figures released last week by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control show a 10.6 per cent decline countrywide from April 2023 to April 2024, with some states seeing decreases of up to 30 per cent.  

But, while the numbers may spark optimism, Dr. Jade Boyd, a research scientist with the B.C. Centre for Substance Use, said she feels it's too early to say the drug crisis has turned a corner.

"I think this is a small trend across North America right now. But we're still experiencing at least six deaths a day in B.C. in relation to the toxic drug supply," she said. "We still need to be doing all the things that we know that work in relation to preventing overdose deaths and relying on an evidence-based approach."

Female drug deaths up 60%

In its latest data release, the B.C. Coroners Service also highlighted a concerning trend showing how female toxic drug deaths have risen 60 per cent since 2020. 

Blyth believes one reason for this is that women will choose to use drugs alone because they are afraid of being sexually assaulted while they are passed out. 

"There's benzos (benzodiazepines) in the drugs now, which can put people out for days. I think women are especially at risk of sexual violence and [being] taken advantage of," Blyth said. 

"We really need to drill down, ask women who use drugs what's going on ... and make sure that there's safe spaces for women to use."

Boyd agreed, saying women who use substances are at a higher risk of facing violence than men.

She said they are also more likely to be the primary or only parent caring for children, and could have a harder time getting to harm reduction services as a result. 

And, if those women are then using drugs alone, there is no one around to call 911 or administer naloxone if they overdose. 

The B.C. Coroners Service says preliminary numbers show 183 people died in September of a suspected unregulated drug overdose, for an average of more than six deaths per day. 

More than 15,000 people have died since the overdose crisis was declared a public health emergency by the province in 2016.