New single-day record for paramedic calls to B.C. drug poisonings, stats show

published on January 26, 2026 by Michelle Gomez in CBC News

Health officials are warning that drug poisonings are on the rise across B.C., with a new single-day record for most drug poisonings attended by paramedics being set last week.

The B.C. Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) has issued a province-wide drug alert, noting new substances in the unregulated drug supply are putting people at risk province-wide.

It said medetomidine, used primarily by veterinarians to sedate animals, is now being mixed with opioids like fentanyl.

Alexis Crabtree, a public health physician with BCCDC, says doctors are concerned about life-threatening effects when the drug is mixed with fentanyl…