2026-04-08 from globalnews.ca

Despite recent declines in fatality rates, almost five people in B.C. are still dying from unregulated drugs every day, on average. Illicit drug toxicity is the leading cause of unnatural death in the province, accounting for more deaths than homicides, suicides, motor vehicle incidents, drownings and fires combined.

As B.C. approaches the 10-year anniversary of the declaration, grieving friends and families, former policy makers, medical workers and those who use drugs are reflecting on the decade of crisis and what could have been done differently to save more lives. They describe the explosive and deadly impact of the arrival of synthetic opioids, the public policy battles to arrest the catastrophe as deaths soared, and the personal battles that also ensued.

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