The BC Coroners Service has released the latest statistics for illicit drug overdoses in April.
136 people died – almost double the number from April of last year.
Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe says she hopes the crisis starts turning around, but acknowledges that a multi-pronged approach is needed to deal with the crisis.
“This is not going to be an overnight or fixed in a few weeks,” she says.
Lapointe notes that, “it’s going to need education and helping people, maybe youngsters, start to understand the real risks of using illicit substances. It’s also going to require treatment options so that if people are using drugs, their family doctors can talk to them about it and there are places they can go for information and places they can go to get help.”
Lapointe says if these and other supports aren’t made available, the crisis will continue to get worse and the death will continue to rise.
