VICTORIA, B.C.-The provincial government has released the recommendation of its Death Review Panel on illicit drug overdoses.
The BC Coroners Service panel identified three key areas of focus toward reducing the problem.
Those are the need to provincially regulate and appropriately oversee treatment and recovery programs and facilities, expanding access to evidence-based addiction care, and improving safer drug-use by creating things like accessible provincial drug checking services.
The panel looked at every illicit drug overdose death in British Columbia over a 19-month period, between January 1st, 2016 and July 31st, 2017.
Panel chair Michael Egilson says the review reaffirmed that the biggest problem when it comes to overdose deaths is the recent increase in drug toxicity.
You can see the full report for yourself at this website.