An injection of action is needed to battle the unacceptably high death toll from illicit drug overdoses, according to a local substance abuse expert.
Statistics from the B.C. Coroners Service show that from Jan. 1 to June 30, the total number of deaths from illicit drug overdoses was 371, an increase of 74.2 per cent from the same time period in 2015.
At the same time, fentanyl-detected deaths are no longer isolated to the Lower Mainland, as they have been in previous years. The statistics show that fentanyl-detected deaths are now occurring regularly throughout the province.
“For Vancouver Island and the Southern Interior, the number of deaths in which fentanyl was detected in five months in 2016 has exceeded the number for all 12 months of 2015,” the report reads.
Doug Rogers, the Vernon School District’s substance abuse prevention counsellor, says there is lots to be concerned about.
“We need much more work in the area of prevention – not harm reduction – with the advent of drugs like fentanyl (cheap and easy to obtain) our death rate will continue to increase,” said Rogers.
More work is also required in the area of mental health.
“Folks need help with anxiety, depression, etc. Drugs aren’t the answer, they just contribute to greater problems going forward.”
And the government, and society, can do better, said Rogers.
“Our government needs to sound the alarm, then spend money on prevention and treatments that work. Sounding the alarm without providing solutions is not good enough.”
The report also shows that the proportion of deaths in which fentanyl was detected has increased substantially.
“For the first five months (Jan. 1 through May 31) of 2016, approximately 60 per cent of the deaths showed fentanyl detected in toxicology tests, either alone or, more often, in combination with other illicit drugs,” the report reads. “That is up from 31 per cent in 2015. There is a one-month lag in fentanyl data due to testing protocols.”
It goes on to say that in light of the numbers and high risk posed by fentanyl, those using illicit drugs need to use extreme caution.
Chief coroner Lisa Lapointe stresses the importance of calling 911 immediately if someone appears to be overdosing as rapid intervention, including the use of naloxone, can often prevent an overdose from becoming fatal.
“The BC Coroners Service continues to work with health, community and law enforcement agencies to try to find all ways possible to reduce this unacceptably high death toll,” the report concludes.