Kamloops fatal overdose numbers on track for lowest in years

Kamloops saw 50 illicit drug overdose deaths in the first 10 months of 2025, putting the city on pace for roughly 60 deaths for the year and below the 92 deaths recorded in 2024; provincial and national data show similar declines while experts say the reasons are unclear.

The number of illicit drug overdose deaths in Kamloops is trending downward after recent peaks, with 50 deaths recorded in the first 10 months of 2025 and a projected total of about 60 for the year. This would be lower than the 92 deaths recorded in 2024 and the lowest since 2020. Interior Health and federal data show similar declines across British Columbia and Canada, but experts say the causes are not yet clear. Key figures: - Kamloops recorded 50 overdose deaths in the first 10 months of 2025, projecting roughly 60 for all of 2025. - Kamloops had 92 recorded overdose deaths in 2024 and 60 in 2020; the city peaked at 93 in 2022. - Across British Columbia, 1,538 overdose deaths were recorded in the first 10 months of 2025, compared with 2,315 in all of 2024 and a peak of 2,589 in 2023. - Experts and officials report similar downward patterns in other parts of Canada and the U.S., while stressing uncertainty about causes. - Officials note changes in the drug supply (different mixtures and substances such as xylazine), wider naloxone availability, and shifts in modes of use as possible factors mentioned in reports. Summary: The decline in fatal overdoses in Kamloops is part of a broader trend reported provincially and nationally, but health officials and harm-reduction workers said it is difficult to identify a single cause. Undetermined at this time.