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Regional drug overdose mortality trends

Updated 2 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

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2026-10-14 20:06 UTC → 2026-10-20 11:42 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Recent data highlights significant drug overdose fatalities in different regions. In Victoria, Australia, 2025 saw 632 drug overdose deaths, the highest level in a decade. This figure is more than double the 291 road deaths recorded in the same period. Contributing factors include pharmaceuticals and illicit substances such as heroin, methamphetamine, and GHB. Notably, fatalities among Gen X men aged 45–54 rose by 47 per cent, which experts suggest may be linked to stricter prescription monitoring and a shortage of addiction treatment providers. In British Columbia, Canada, the provincial total for unregulated toxic drug deaths reached 1,015 during the first eight months of 2026. During July and August 2026, 239 people died, with 113 deaths in July and 126 in August, averaging approximately 3.6 to 4.1 deaths per day. The Fraser and Vancouver Coastal health authorities accounted for 54 per cent of all fatal overdoses this year, with each recording 86 deaths during the July-August period. Demographic data shows that males account for 76 per cent of unregulated drug deaths in 2026, and individuals aged 30 to 59 comprise 69 per cent of fatalities. Toxicological testing identified fluorofentanyl as the most common substance, appearing in 68 per cent of overdose deaths, followed by cocaine (56 per cent), methamphetamine (53 per cent), fentanyl (50 per cent), and desalkylgidazepam (21 per cent). Smoking was the primary mode of consumption, occurring in 65 per cent of July cases and 67 per cent of August cases. Notably, for the first time since record-keeping began, fentanyl is no longer the top substance of concern, as fluorofentanyl has emerged as the primary substance detected in expedited testing.

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