B.C. Coroner reports 182 people died in April from unregulated drugs

The B.C. Coroner’s report on drug toxicity death was released on Thursday and even though the number of overdose deaths dropped since last April by 24 per cent, officials still say 182 people died.

Fentanyl is still the primary killer, with the drug detected in 82 per cent of test results for those who died so far this year.

The coroner’s service says nearly half of those who overdosed were between the ages of 30 and 49.

To date in the province, 763 people have died from unregulated drugs in 2024  including three from the Merritt area this calendar year. The data also reported that 122 people have died from unregulated drugs in the Interior Health region in the first four months of 2024.

The latest figures also lifts the number of deaths since the public health emergency was declared eight years ago to 14-thousand 582 people.