Overdose Deaths Decline in Some Areas of British Columbia

published on March 26, 2025 by Fran Lowry in Medscape

Fewer people are dying from drug overdoses in British Columbia (BC), although this decline has not taken place in every part of the province.

According to the BC Coroners Service, 152 overdose deaths were reported in January, making it the fourth consecutive month in which the number of overdose deaths was below 160.

Unfortunately, the decline did not continue in communities within the Fraser Health and Interior Health regions.

It is too soon to start calling this decline a trend, experts cautioned, and overdose deaths are still too high.

“It’s a relatively small change, and we should not be taking this as some indication that we can take our foot off the gas and pat ourselves on the back because things are good now,” Kora DeBeck, PhD, distinguished professor of substance use and drug policy at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, told Medscape Medical News…