Unregulated toxic drug deaths up in Fraser, Interior in January

The BC Coroners Service says 152 people were killed by unregulated toxic drugs in January this year.

The service explains that while this is the fourth month in a row that toxic drug deaths have been below 160, Fraser and Interior health regions saw an increase during that month.

“Deaths among those between the age of 40 and 59 accounted for 50% of drug-toxicity deaths in the province, while three deaths were reported among children and youth under the age of 18,” the Coroners Service shared in an update on Friday.

“From December 2024 to January 2025, deaths among males in B.C. climbed from approximately 73% (109) of deaths to 79% (120). In the same period, the deaths of 40 females were reported in December, compared with 32 in January.”

Preliminary findings suggest that fentanyl and its analogues were the most common substances detected by toxicology in unregulated drug deaths in January, consistent with findings since the start of the public health emergency.

“More than three-quarters of decedents who underwent testing were found to have fentanyl in their body (77%), followed by methamphetamine (52%) and bromazolam (46%),” the Coroners Service said.

According to the service, about 4.9 people are killed by toxic drugs in the province each day. The highest number of unregulated drug deaths so far in 2025 are in Vancouver, Surrey, and Greater Victoria, with the Vancouver Coastal Health region reporting the hight rate of death.