A report that deals specifically with First Nations drug poisonings in British Columbia shows that they remain “disproportionately impacted even seven years after British Columbia (BC) declared its province-wide public health emergency on illicit toxic drugs.”
The report from the First Nations Health Authority was released on April 21.
According to the health authority, 2022 was a “devastating year” with “373 toxic drug-poisoning deaths among First Nations people, a 6.3 per cent increase compared to 2021. The report says First Nations people died at 5.9 times the rate of other residents in the province.
The FNHA said one of the disturbing trends identified in the report was the fact that First Nations women died at 11.2 times the rate of other women in the province which is an increase from the 2021.
The organization said it’s changing its operations to support the harm reduction for those living in urban areas away from home.
