No new drug toxicity deaths in June for Merritt, provincial numbers down as well

There were no reported new deaths in the Merritt area, due to toxic illicit drugs in the month of June.

The B.C. Coroner Service released its monthly report for June 2024 on Tuesday which shows the rate of deaths from toxic drugs in the province is down nine per cent in the first half of this year compared with 2023.

Despite the decrease in the first half of 2023, it reports on average six-people die from toxic illicit drugs each day in the province with 181 deaths reported in May and 185 deaths recorded in June.

So far in 2024, Merritt has reported three toxic drug related deaths compared to six in all of 2023.

Meanwhile the cumulative number of unregulated drug deaths in the province to date in 2024 is 1158 compared to 1279 for the first six-months of 2023.

The Interior Health Region saw a slight increase in toxic drug deaths during May (29) and June (34), it was well behind the Fraser Health Authority (52-May, 48-June) Vancouver Coastal (45-May, 45-June) and the Island Health Authority (44-May, 39-June).

It was also noted that fentanyl was reported in almost 85-percent of the unregulated drug deaths in B.C. so far in 2024.