US EditionOverdose deaths drop by 21 per cent, but 1,826 deaths in 2025 still a 'profound loss'
Deaths from illicit drug overdoses dropped 21% to 1,826, with nearly 400,000 naloxone kits distributed annually to curb fatalities, officials said.
- On Thursday, the British Columbia coroner's service reported overdose deaths fell 21% to 1,826 last year, the first under 2,000 since 2020.
- Following multi-year trends, officials point to falling drug deaths in B.C. tied to a North America decline and $50 million provincial government funding for nasal naloxone.
- The NaloxHome Society notes nasal naloxone will make up about half of over 400,000 kits distributed annually, with staged rollout to 150 community sites then all 2,400 take-home sites from April.
- The figures were released yesterday shortly after the provincial Health Ministry announced expanded access, and Osborne said `We are taking urgent action to expand these critical services and to do everything we can help people connect to the care they need`.
- Given shifting drug supplies, coroner data shows more than 16,000 deaths since the April 2016 emergency declaration, with fentanyl present in 69 per cent but declining, and drug poisoning remains the leading cause of death for people aged 10 to 59.
33 Articles
33 Articles
B.C. overdose deaths dropped 21% last year, but loss of life still ‘profound,’ says coroners service
More than 1,800 people died in British Columbia last year from illicit drug overdoses, and while the coroner’s service says it still represents a “profound loss of life,” it’s a 21 per cent decrease from the year before and almost 30 per cent down from the peak in 2023.
The Toronto Star
Overdose deaths drop by 21 per cent, but 1,826 deaths in 2025 still a ‘profound loss’
VICTORIA - More than 1,800 people died in British Columbia last year from illicit drug overdoses, and while the coroner's service says it still represents a "profound loss of life,"
Island Health saw 343 overdose deaths in 2025: BC Coroners
Island Health recorded 343 unregulated drug deaths last year, or nearly one every single day, according to the BC Coroners Service. Across the province, some 1,826 people died of drug overdoses last year – which, while still representing a “profound loss of life,” is a decrease of 21 per cent compared to the 2024 total of 2,315, says the BC Coroners Service. The service adds that it’s the first time the province has recorded fewer than 2,000 tox…
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