Toxic drugs have touched every corner of the province. While most deaths occur in Vancouver, some of the highest rates of death, for both men and women, are in the Northern and Interior parts of the province.
The unregulated, illicit drug market in B.C. is intensely toxic. During the pandemic, deaths caused by extreme concentrations of fentanyl or benzodiazepines, which reduce the efficacy of Naloxone, increased significantly. Drug-users in B.C. can no longer be certain what they are consuming – often with deadly results.
Males aged 30-60 face the highest risk, on average, and most deaths occur in the home. Northern B.C. has the highest rate of deaths among women, and in Vancouver, most deaths occur in SROs and social or supportive housing.