British Columbia's provincial health officer says the latest drug overdose numbers for B.C. are frustrating, tragic and sad.
The Coroner's office recorded 136 suspected overdose deaths for the month of April, double the number from the month before, and the second highest number of deaths in a single month.
Dr. Perry Kendall says there is a stigma around drug use that is driving the shocking numbers:
" And that I think is what causes people not to come out, not to ask a friend, not to have somebody with them. It's something ... it's illegal, it's something that you may see as shameful, it's something that carries a great deal of stigma with it. That, I think, is something we have to address and overcome."
Kendall notes the highest numbers are in Vancouver (144), Surrey (51), and followed by Victoria (37). But he says no area is immune.