January saw 152 people die because of toxic drugs in BC.
According to new data from the BC Coroners Service, that number equates to 4.9 deaths per day, with 50 percent of them comprised of those between the ages of 40 and 59.
Only three children and youth under 18 years old were reported dead.
The service says for men, the number of deaths has gone up from 109 in December last year to 120 in January. For women, the number went down from 40 in December to 32 in January.
For Vancouver Island and Sunshine Coast, Vancouver Coastal Health had the highest deaths for a health authority with 45, while Island Health saw 21 deaths.
Nanaimo saw 2 deaths, with 5 reported from North Vancouver Island, and 8 from Central Vancouver Island, South Vancouver Island, and the Greater Victoria Area respectively.
The service says smoking was the most common mode of consumption this year with 57 percent.
They add from the deaths, fentanyl was found in 77 percent of them, followed by methamphetamine with 52 percent, bromazolam with 46 percent, desalkylgidazepam at 42 percent, flurofentanyl also at 42 percent, and hydromorphone at 3 percent.
