Drug deaths are down, but thousands are still overdosing in B.C, coroner says

The number of illicit drugoverdosedeaths has dropped in British Columbia, but the coroners' service says users need to remain cautious about an unpredictable and toxic drug supply.

The BC Coroners Service said there were 69 suspected overdoses deaths in October, a 42 per cent decrease from those killed by illicit drugs in the same month last year.

Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe said while fatalities have decreased, the service knows from itshealth-care partners that the number of non-fatal overdoses remains high.

She said the decrease inoverdosedeaths is a promising trend, but the drug supply in the province remains unpredictable and the long-term impact of drug toxicity can be severe.

The coronersservice said the crisis is far from over, pointing out that B.C. paramedics responded to more than 20,000overdosecalls between January and October this year.

The service said when paramedics respond to a potentialoverdosepatient, that person has a 99 per cent chance of survival.

"This is why all partners in public health continue to stress the importance of not using alone and to call 911 if you see someone who may be experiencing adverse effects of a drug event,'' Lapointe saidin a statement. "We must continue to remain vigilant.''

The B.C. government declared a public health emergency in April 2016 when the number ofoverdosedeaths jumped as the illicit opioid,fentanyl, began showing up in street drugs.

Statistics from the coronersservice saidfentanyl or its analogues were detected in about 85 per cent of the illicit drug deaths so far this year, and it was a factor in 87 per cent of theoverdosedeaths last year.