Drug crisis ‘unabated’ for First Nations in B.C., doctor says
Global News
Indigenous people, especially women, are dying from toxic drugs at disproportionately high rates in British Columbia as the overdose crisis continues "unabated."
Indigenous people, especially women, are dying from toxic drugs at disproportionately high rates in British Columbia as the overdose crisis continues “unabated,” nearly seven years after the province first declared a public health emergency, said the top doctor for the First Nations Health Authority.
Dr. Nel Wieman, the acting chief medical officer, said illicit drugs are killing First Nations people at five times the rate of B.C.’s general population.
That figure rose to 8.8 per cent for First Nations women, specifically, compared with non-Indigenous women in the province in the first half of 2022, she said.
She noted that number contrasts with the overall toll for the province, which shows 79 per cent of those who died from toxic drugs last year were male.
Wieman’s remarks came as B.C.’s chief coroner released data Tuesday showing suspected drug toxicity claimed 2,272 people last year.
B.C.’s exemption to federal drug laws also took effect Tuesday. The three-year pilot project allows adults to carry up to 2.5 grams of certain illicit substances without fear of being arrested or having their drugs confiscated by police.
The underlying reasons for the increased impact of the toxic drug crisis on Indigenous people in B.C. are “complex and varied,” Wieman said.
They include intergenerational trauma stemming from Canada’s residential school system and the apprehension of Indigenous children for placement in government care, along with a lack of access to culturally safe mental health and substance use supports, she said.
