B.C. 

Overview of the Toxic Drug Crisis in B.C.

• On April 16, 2016, B.C.'s Provincial Health Officer declared a public health emergency due to rising drug poisoning deaths.

• Since then, over 16,047 British Columbians have died from toxic drug poisoning, and BC Emergency Health Services has seen a 110% total increase in annual overdose/poisoning events.

• 2024 was one of the deadliest years on record, with at least 2,253 lives lost—an average of 6.2 deaths per day.

• Unregulated drug toxicity remains the leading cause of death in B.C., surpassing homicides, suicides, accidents, and natural diseases combined.

• Deaths are largely driven by an increasingly toxic and unpredictable street drug supply, made worse by the lack of safe, legally regulated alternatives.