Chief coroner Lisa Lapointe takes part in a news conference at the legislature in Victoria, on Feb. 7, 2019.British Columbia is facing a record-breaking year for overdose deaths and the provincial coroner is urging caution as the illicit drug supply grows more toxic.
In a statement, she says 1,548 people have died from overdoses so far this year and that number puts every health authority at or near the highest-ever monthly totals.It says toxicology findings show a larger number of those who died between April and November had extreme concentrations of fentanyl, compared with previous months.
In September, the provincial health officer allowed more health professionals to prescribe alternative drugs to those who are using toxic street drugs. Lapointe says that providing more people with access to pharmaceutical alternatives will help reduce the harms caused by the illicit drug market.