First Nations women overrepresented among B.C. toxic drug deaths: doctor
Indigenous people, especially women, are dying from toxic drugs at disproportionately high rates in British Columbia as the overdose crisis continues “unabated,” nearly seven years after the province first declared a public health emergency, said the top doctor for the First Nations Health Authority.
She noted that number contrasts with the overall toll for the province, which shows 79 per cent of those who died from toxic drugs last year were male. The underlying reasons for the increased impact of the toxic drug crisis on Indigenous people in B.C. are “complex and varied,” Wieman said. Substance use and mental health are closely linked, she said. People use substances to change how they feel, and the health authority’s response to the crisis involves helping people develop healthier coping mechanisms while expanding harm reduction and treatment options rooted in Indigenous values and culture.
Chief Don Tom, vice-president of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs, similarly said substance use among Indigenous people is often rooted in trauma from ongoing racism and centuries of colonialization.
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