Toxic drugs claimed people in the West Kootenay-Boundary at a higher rate than anywhere else in BC in March, while the East Kootenay saw no deaths.
The contrast is revealed in figures released today by the BC Coroners Service.
It was the third time since last October that a month went by with no recorded drug-related deaths in East Kootenay, which for Interior Health’s purposes includes the Creston Valley. There were a total of five deaths in January and February.
There were four deaths in the West Kootenay-Boundary in March, a rate of 4.6 per 100,000 population. That was the highest of any health subregion in BC, although 10 areas had higher actual numbers of deaths.
In the first three months of the year, which is the latest data available, 14 people died due to drug use in the West Kootenay-Boundary, a rate of 64.3 per 100,000. That was the second-highest of the health subregions, behind only Northern Interior, although eight areas had more actual deaths.
Town-by-town breakdowns are only released twice per year, in June and December.
Province-wide, 135 lives were lost to toxic drugs in March. The coroners service says more than three-quarters were men, and over two-thirds were between the ages of 30 and 59. More than 80 per cent of deaths took place indoors.
