B.C. saw 175 more illicit drug overdose deaths in July; Kamloops has already exceeded 2019 total

Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe told media the street drug supply continues to be extremely toxic and public stigma is leading more people to use drugs alone.

“There continues to be judgment, shaming and stigmatization directed at those experiencing problematic substance use. This can result in isolation, using alone and a fear of seeking help and/or support,” Lapointe told media in a morning news conference. “In the midst of a dual public health emergency, this can be fatal.”

In Kamloops, the number of overdose deaths has already surpassed the total for all of 2019. Lapointe says 32 people died of suspected overdoses in the first seven months of the year. There were 26 overdose deaths in the city in 2019.

The only cities in B.C. that have seen more overdose deaths than Kamloops are Vancouver, Surrey, Victoria and Kelowna.

The B.C. Coroners Service notes the Thompson Cariboo and Northern Interior are among the health service delivery areas with the highest overdose death rates, and Lillooet is one of the local health areas with the biggest problems.

The morning news conference included powerful remarks from Guy Felicella of the B.C. Centre on Substance Use, a motivational speaker who has lived experience with problematic drug use and overdose.

Felicella said the ongoing crisis makes it hard to answer in the affirmative when he is asked if anyone cares about those who use drugs.

“We can’t — I can’t — accept that 170-plus deaths every month is just the way it is,” said Felicella. “This overdose crisis and addressing the contaminated drug supply has gone from defeat to debacle. If we let this become the new normal, then we are telling people some lives matter more than others. And for those who ask me if anyone cares about people who use drugs, the lack of action says to them, ‘Clearly, no.'”

Felicella, supported by Lapointe and Henry, called on governments to provide a safer drug supply by way of regulated pharmaceutical alternatives to street drugs.

“No single politician or political party owns this. In fact, every level of government, past and present, owns this because the one thing that they share has been a collective lack of bold action or clear plan to prevent the crisis from happening in the first place,” Felicella said.

“Every hour of every day, our failed policies are forcing people to play Russian Roulette – only the odds are growing against them,” he added. “It’s not just the single bullet in the chamber, it’s a full chamber and our bad policies are holding the gun.”

Henry, who has gained a strong public profile for her leadership in addressing the COVID-19 crisis, called on fellow medical professionals to speak out.

“The medical profession needs to stand up,” Henry said. “We’ve been working around making sure that access to pharmaceutical alternatives is available more widely from a wide variety of providers and that is moving ahead – but it is far too slow.”

“Nobody chooses to become addicted to drugs and nobody chooses to die of a drug overdoses,” added Felicella. “We can give people a choice, though, to choose between the toxic, poisoned street supply that’s fuelling these deaths or pharmaceutical alternatives in the form of a safer supply. Making that choice a reality is really a matter of life and death.”

Read the full report from the B.C. Coroners Service:

Illicit Drug by James Peters Cfjc on Scribd

by James Peters

B.C. saw 175 more illicit drug overdose deaths in July; Kamloops has already exceeded 2019 total

Our Community