Indigenous people in B.C., especially women, dying from toxic drugs at disproportionately high rates

The top doctor at B.C.’s First Nations Health Authority says illicit drugs are killing First Nations people at five times the rate of B.C.'s general population. She says that figure rose to nearly nine times for First Nations women, specifically, compared with non-Indigenous women in the province in the first half of 2022. That number contrasts with the overall toll for the province, which shows 79% of those who died from toxic drugs last year were male. Her remarks came as B.C.'s chief coroner data showed suspected drug toxicity claimed 2,272 people last year. She says the underlying reasons for the increased impact of the toxic drug crisis on First Nations people in B.C. include intergenerational trauma, along with a lack of access to culturally safe mental health and substance use supports.
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La drogue tue plus d’Autochtones que de non-Autochtones en Colombie-Britannique - Radio-Canada