Fatal overdoses from opioids and other illicit drugs are now the leading cause of death for youth aged 10 to 18 in British Columbia, a development that underscores the urgency of the province’s toxic drug crisis.
Last year, illicit drug toxicity also became the leading cause of death among 40-to-59-year-olds, marking the first time the substances were the leading cause in all three age groups. More than 12,260 people have died in the province as a result of toxic drugs since the public-health emergency was declared, the centre said in a June news release.
Of those who died, 54 per cent were male and 62 per cent were between 17 and 18. Victoria, Vancouver and Surrey had the highest numbers of deaths, with more than 70 per cent occurring at private residences. More than half of those who died were using drugs alone at the time, and about three-quarters were receiving services from the Ministry of Children and Family Development, or had in the past.
Many young people start experimenting with drugs in their teen years, Dr. Carwana said. The rise in overdoses in this age group, he added, is a reflection of how dangerous the drug supply has become, and demonstrates why much more needs to be done to help at-risk youth.Eugenia Oviedo-Joekes, the Canada Research Chair in person-centred care in addiction and public health at the University of British Columbia, said the rise in childhood and teen drug deaths is like a “punch in the stomach.
The rise in youth overdose deaths prompted Dr. Carwana to conduct a national survey last year, to gain a better understanding of how common overdoses are in people aged 18 and younger. The results were released Wednesday in the Canadian Paediatric Society Surveillance Program annual report.