Overdose deaths continue to peak in B.C., fentanyl more prevalent: study
VANCOUVER — Overdose deaths in British Columbia linked to illicit drug use continue to climb in 2016, with far more incidents being linked to the dangerous opioid fentanyl.
While deaths across the province dropped slightly in July compared with previous months, there were 433 deaths recorded between Jan. 1 and July 31, a nearly 75-per-cent increase compared with the same period in 2015.
The total number of overdose deaths in July was 52, down from 61 in June, show the statistics released Thursday by the coroner’s service.
The updated statistics show the number of deaths between Jan. 1 and June 30 where fentanyl was detected has leapt to 238, a 250-per-cent increase over the same period last year.