FILE PHOTO - An ambulance arrives at the Kelowna General Hospital ER.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/KGH Foundation

More than 9,400 British Columbians lost their lives to toxic illicit drugs in the past six years.

At least 174 lives were lost in February, marking the 17th consecutive month where more than 150 lives were lost to illicit drugs in the province, according to a media release by the B.C. Coroners Service issued, April 12.

The province declared the toxic drug supply a public health emergency on April 14, 2016, and with the drug-related death toll continuing to climb, some residents are getting louder and demanding more action be taken.

"As we approach the sixth anniversary of the declaration of the public health emergency into substance-related harms, we are continuing to lose members of our communities at an unprecedented and terrifying rate," chief coroner Lisa Lapointe said the release.

READ MORE: B.C. coroner wants 'urgent action' on safer drug supply six years into OD crisis

"The deaths of another 174 B.C. residents, so many of them young and middle-aged men with years of life ahead of them, is yet another reminder that urgent action is needed on a province wide scale. I extend my deepest sympathy to the many families, friends and communities who are grieving the loss of a loved one."

Moms Stop the Harm advocates will be out in full force protesting at various locations throughout the province between April 14 and April 16 to mark the anniversary.

Kamloops resident Troylana Manson is helping to organize one such demonstration. Her group is preparing to set up a display near Royal Inland Hospital on Thursday, April 14, to make their demands known. Kamloops residents are invited to meet at 1:30 p.m. on the patch of grass in front of the hospital, where signs will be set up.

“It has been six years of this drug crisis and people are still dying," she said. "We are protesting that the red tape around safe supply is killing people.”

Manson lost her young son to an overdose in 2021 and has since spoken publicly about it to raise awareness of the damaging effects of stigma, the dangerous toxic drug supply, and the need for a safe supply to be available to users.

Aaron Manson of Kamloops lost his life to drugs on April 20, 2021 at the age of 26.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Troylana Manson

READ MORE: Kamloops family working to end stigma connected to addiction

Kelowna residents can look for information booths at 10 Starbucks locations from 9 a.m. to noon on April 14 and are encouraged to stop to chat and learn more about the drug poisoning crisis and the importance of harm reduction.

The provincewide death rate in 2022 now stands at 43.5 per 100,000 residents, but rates of death in some health authorities are significantly higher.

By Health Service Delivery Area, the highest death rates in 2022 were recorded in Vancouver, Thompson Cariboo and Northern Interior, underscoring the reality that the impact of the toxic drug crisis is being felt in communities throughout B.C., the coroners service said.

Preliminary toxicological results in early 2022 provide further evidence of the inconsistency and volatility of the illicit drug supply.

Fentanyl continues to be the predominant substance found in post-mortem testing and the toxicity of fentanyl is growing.

READ MORE: Toxic drug crisis in B.C. claims 37 lives in Interior Health: coroner

Between July 2020 and February 2022, etizolam was detected in 41% of expedited testing results, a benzodiazepine that has a highly sedating effect that cannot be reversed by naloxone, making it difficult for first responders to save lives. 

There continues to be no evidence that prescribed safer supply or diverted prescription opioids are contributing to the illicit-drug crisis in B.C, the coroners service said. 

"I recognize that the concept of safer supply is difficult for some to understand given the many decades of a punitive, enforcement-based approach to substance use," Lapointe said. "However, unless we act quickly to provide a safe, regulated source of the drugs people are using in every community across our province, people we love will continue to be vulnerable to the profit-driven, chaotic illicit drug market.

“Safer supply, along with decriminalizing possession of drugs for personal use, reducing stigma and building an evidence-based system of treatment and recovery are critical components for reducing the terrible harms and fatal consequences of the toxic illicit drug market."

Click here for more information on where Moms Stop The Harm events are happening near you. 

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