PRINCE GEORGE- The BC Coroners Service says a total of 1,095 people have lost their lives during the first six months of this year due to accidental overdose deaths, a record for that period.
That is a BC record for the year’s first half, averaging six daily deaths.
According to the federal government, the Safer Supply Program is an alternative to supplying illegal toxic drugs to people at a high risk of overdose. Still, Curtis Rajacich with the Uniting Northern Drug Users Undoing Stigma group says the province is missing one significant demographic in their program.
“People who smoke say heroin or something like that. They get kind of left out of the situation,” said Rajacich.
UNDU is also hoping for fewer Barriers to the Safer Supply program.
“I found that going to the doctors to get my methadone would take up to 4 hours,” said Rajacich ” For somebody who is sick coming off of opiates, that’s way too long.”
Lapointe added that the total number of lives taken due to toxic drugs since 2016 has surpassed 10,000.
