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South Okanagan Photos

BC illicit drug toxicity deaths down 30 percent in 2019

* The monthly average for illicit drug deaths for the first five months of 2019 (92 deaths/month) is down by approximately one-third from the same period in 2018 (130 deaths/month).

* More than two-thirds of the illicit-drug deaths in the first five months of 2019 involved people aged 30 to 59 years, and males account for almost four in every five of all illicit-drug deaths over the same period.

* For the first five months of 2019, almost nine in every 10 illicit drug deaths occurred inside, including more than half in private residences.

* Over the same time-period, there were 58 suspected illicit drug overdose deaths with fentanyl detected in May 2019 and 67 in April 2019.

* Carfentanil was detected in almost one-quarter (102 of 383) of the fentanyl-detected deaths in the first five months of 2019. There were 35 carfentanil-detected deaths in 2018.

* Fentanyl or its analogues were detected in approximately 83% of illicit drug deaths for the first five months of 2019 and 87% of illicit drug deaths for all of 2018. By comparison, in 2012, fentanyl was detected in only 4% of illicit drug deaths.

* No deaths have been reported at supervised consumption or drug overdose prevention sites.