For the first time ever, drugs were the leading cause of death for BC youths aged 10 to 18 in 2022, surpassing accidents and suicide among that age group..According to data posted on the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) website, ‘illicit drug toxicity’ was the cause of 16% of deaths in that age group, almost as much as accidents and suicide combined..Although drugs have long been the leading cause of death among people 19 to 39 years, at 47%, it’s the first time that ignominious statistic has been recorded among minors and pre-teens..It was also the first time drugs were the leading cause of death among adults aged 40 to 59, at 25% — surpassing malignant cancer — and the first time drugs led in all three age categories..Little surprise, fentanyl was involved in almost 87% of all drug deaths in all age categories, according to the data, followed by methamphetimine at 43% and cocaine at 38%..Under provincial law, the BC Coroners Service is required to investigate all deaths of children under the age of 19..A report from the Coroner’s Office said there were 36 youth drug deaths last year. There have been 142 drug deaths among youths since 2017, which puts it above the average of about 24 per year. That compares to about six per year between 2021-16..Youth between 17 and 18 years of age accounted for 62% (88) of deaths and males accounted for 54% (76) of those. On balance, the split number of male (76) and female (66) decedents was much closer than in adults, where males account for approximately 80% of unregulated drug toxicity deaths, it said..In most youth deaths (74%), the injury location, or place where substances were last used, was at a private residence compared to 11% in 'other' residences including substance treatment or recovery houses, group homes, rooming houses, single room occupancies, hotels/motels, or shelters. A similar number (15) were outdoors..The greatest number of youth deaths in that period were in Victoria, followed by Vancouver and Surrey. About half of the victims were using alone and 67% had either a mental health diagnosis or anecdotal evidence of a disorder..In a statement BC’s Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, Jennifer Whiteside said the toxic drug crisis continues to have a devastating impact on families and communities..“The impact on children, youth is heartbreaking,” she said. “Since the onset of the pandemic and the disruption it had caused, illicit drugs are becoming more toxic and more people are at risk of dying.”.In 2016, the province declared opioid overdoses a public health emergency. Since then the province has recorded almost 12,000 deaths, including 2,314 in 2022 which was the deadliest year on record..In May of last year, BC decriminalized possession of small amounts of narcotics for people over 18 in an attempt to stem the body count. Instead the numbers show it is getting worse..There were more than 800 in the first three months of this year alone, or more than six per day, putting it on track to beat last year..By comparison, there were 613 in Alberta in the same period of 2023, compared to 1,400 for all of last year.
