British Columbia’s coroner says 158 people died from illicit drug overdoses in September, down almost 20 per cent from the same month last year in a trend that has seen the death rate fall to its lowest level since 2019.

The BC Coroners Service says in a statement that fentanyl or its analogs were found in the system of 84 per cent of those who were tested.

The service’s online dashboard shows the death rate from unregulated drugs in B.C. has dropped sharply since 2023, when 2,589 people died.

This year’s rate is down 31 per cent compared with two years ago, while September’s deaths are down 19 per cent from last year.

It’s part of a decline that has also been occurring across much of North America.

The cities experiencing the highest number of toxic drug deaths this year have bee

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