VICTORIA—The unprecedented overdose death toll in British Columbia means it may be time to have a “courageous conversation” about decriminalizing the drugs that are killing so many people, says the province’s minister of addictions.

While decriminalizing drugs is a federal matter, Judy Darcy said Thursday the province is doing everything it can to stem the number of deaths.

“I think the fundamental issue here is we need to start treating addiction like a health issue,” she said, adding many people living with addictions are homeless or living in poverty.

“We need to be pouring on the supports so that we have a pathway to hope for people and so they don’t end up in the criminal justice system.”

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The death toll from illicit drug overdoses reached 1,103 for the first nine months of this year, the coroners’ service said. In 2016, 982 people fatally overdosed in British Columbia.

The opioid fentanyl was detected in about 83 per cent of the deaths, representing a 147 per cent increase over the same period last year, it said.

In most cases, the powerful opioid painkiller was combined with other drugs, including cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine.

Darcy said removing the threat of being arrested for those who are caught using the drugs could be helpful.

“I think we should be prepared as a country to have a courageous conversation about it. In the meantime we are pushing the envelope and we are being bold and innovative in doing everything we can within the context of the present federal framework.”

Health Canada said in an email statement that the federal government is not considering decriminalizing or legalizing all drugs.

“The Government of Canada is committed to a comprehensive, collaborative, compassionate and evidence-based approach to drug policy, which uses a public health approach when considering and addressing drug issues,” the statement said.

The statement said harm reduction has been restored as a core pillar of Canada’s drug policy, along with prevention, treatment and enforcement.

Safe consumption sites have opened around the province for addicts and the coroner’s service said there have been no deaths at them.

Ninety per cent of the deaths happened indoors, half of those in private homes.

Darcy said her ministry is working to counter the factors that lead to most of the deaths.

“We are also ramping up .... a major anti-stigma campaign and a major campaign to reach out to people who are using alone because nine out of 10 people who are dying are using at home alone. That’s about overcoming stigma, that’s about everybody in a family, in a community, friends reaching out and having conversations with people and reducing the stigma.”

Three-quarters of those who died are between the ages of 30 and 59, and four out of five of them are male.

The Fraser Health Authority, which covers Metro Vancouver neighbourhoods from Burnaby to Hope on the east side of the Fraser Valley, had the most deaths this year at 295, followed by Vancouver at 269.

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In 2012, fentanyl was detected in just four per cent of overdose deaths.

Darcy said the government is looking at enlarging a program used at overdose prevention sites in Vancouver where people can check their illicit drugs for fentanyl.

“But we plan to do everything we can including expanding drug checking to keep people safe from these poisoned drug supplies on the street.”

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