In British Columbia, more than 1,800 individuals succumbed to illicit drug overdoses in the past year, marking a significant decline of 21 percent from the previous year and nearly 30 percent from the peak in 2023. The Coroner's Service noted that while these figures still represent a "profound loss of life," it is the first time since 2020 that the annual overdose deaths in the province have fallen below the 2,000 mark.
The announcement of these figures was made shortly after Health Minister Josie Osborne unveiled initiatives to broaden access to nasal naloxone, a medication that temporarily reverses the effects of an opioid overdose. According to the coroner's report, 77 percent of the 1,826 overdose fatalities involved males, and approximately half of the deaths occurred indoors.
Fentanyl was present in the systems of 69 percent of those who died from overdoses; however, this percentage is trending downward as other substances, including fluorofentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine, are increasingly being detected. Drug-related deaths in British Columbia have experienced a steady decline since peaking two years ago, reflecting a broader downward trend across North America regarding opioid-related fatalities.
Health Minister Osborne emphasized the significance of expanding the naloxone program as a vital response to the ongoing overdose crisis, which has been in effect for nearly a decade. Since the emergency was declared in April 2016, more than 16,000 people have lost their lives due to overdose.
"We are taking urgent action to expand these critical services and to do everything we can to help people connect to the care they need," Osborne stated. "This investment in nasal naloxone is an important piece of that puzzle." Out of a total $50 million in funding, $18 million will be allocated specifically for nasal naloxone in the current fiscal year. The government has previously approved $32 million that will be utilized for both injectable and nasal naloxone.
Osborne noted that the additional nasal naloxone kits will soon be distributed across 150 community sites, with a broader rollout planned for all 2,400 take-home naloxone sites starting in April. This funding initiative over the next two years will ensure that nasal medication represents approximately half of the more than 400,000 naloxone kits distributed annually in the province.
The Health Ministry released a statement indicating that injectable take-home naloxone kits have already prevented nearly 40,000 overdose deaths between January 2019 and October 2025. "That is thousands of lives saved over the past six years," Osborne told reporters at the legislature during the announcement.
Chloe Goodison, the executive director of the NaloxHome Society, echoed the sentiments of the Health Minister, asserting that the additional nasal naloxone kits will facilitate life-saving interventions. Goodison highlighted that drug poisoning is currently the leading cause of death among British Columbians aged 10 to 59, reassuring that nasal naloxone provides youth with a tool they are more comfortable carrying and can use confidently in emergencies.
The report detailing these developments was originally published on February 19, 2026, by The Canadian Press, with contributions from journalist Wolfgang Depner.
