BC Records Highest Number of Illicit Drug Overdose Deaths Ever in 2020

BC Records Highest Number of Illicit Drug Overdose Deaths Ever in 2020
Evidence bags containing fentanyl are displayed during a news conference at Surrey RCMP Headquarters, in Surrey, B.C, on Sept. 3, 2020. Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press
Isaac Teo
Updated:

British Columbia reported its highest number of overdose deaths ever in the same year, with nearly five people dying on average everyday, according to a new report.

The report (pdf) released Thursday by the B.C. Coroners Service said 1,716 people died from illicit drug overdoses in 2020 alone—a 74 percent spike over the numbers recorded the previous year.