Updated Charts

Survey administered to students in Grades 7–12 (aged 12–19) every 5 years.

The proportion of youth aged 12-19 who were attending grades 7-12 in schools within Island Health who have reported trying alcohol has decreased steadily over the past 30 years.

Excluding tobacco, alcohol-related hospital admissions consistently account for the highest rate of substance-related hospital admissions in Island Health, accounting for nearly two times more admissions than the next leading cause of substance-related admissions, opioids, in 2023.

Entirely caused by alcohol is defined as 100% attributable to alcohol.

The rate of hospital admissions entirely caused by alcohol in 2022–2023 in Island Health was 1.3 times higher than B.C. and nearly 2 times higher than Canada.

Rates of alcohol-related hospital admissions in North and Central Island were 1.3 times higher than South Island in 2023.

For details on the methodology used to derive estimates, refer to the CSUCH technical report.

Up to 2019, substance use-attributable deaths in B.C. were declining due to tobacco and had been stable for alcohol and opioids since 2007. In 2020, the rate of deaths attributed to alcohol and opioids both increased.

In 2023, unregulated drug poisoning was the leading cause of death for Island Health residents between 19 and 59 years of age and the second leading cause for residents less than 19 years of age.

Unregulated drug poisoning deaths rank fifth in proportion of all deaths; however, since the average age of death is 43 years, the youngest of any of the top 15 causes of death, potential years of life lost are disproportionately high.

Unregulated drug deaths in Island Health are higher than in Fraser Health, Interior Health, and the province as a whole.

In 2023, unregulated drug deaths were highest in Central and North Island, with rates of 68.7 and 63.5 per 100,000, respectively. In the South Island, the rate of unregulated drug deaths has declined in the past year and continues to be lower than both Island Health and B.C. overall.

Men continue to be disproportionately affected by unregulated drug deaths, with a rate of 76.6 per 100,000 in 2023 and an overall increase of 2.7 times since 2019. There has also been a substantial increase in the rate of deaths among women, which has nearly tripled since 2019.

In 2023, deaths were highest among the 30-39 age group; this is the first year since 2020 that the rate of deaths in this age group surpassed that of the 40-49 and 50-59 age groups.

Percentages can add up to more than 100% as individuals could have had multiple modes of consumption. Data is based on information gathered by the coroner which may include scene investigation, witness interviews, or a review of circumstances. Data is preliminary and subject to change.

In preliminary data provided by the BC Coroners Service, smoking has consistently been the most common mode of consumption among unregulated drug deaths in 2022 and 2023.

While mortality due to stimulant use is much lower than due to opioid use, hospitalizations due to stimulant use have increased four-fold in the past decade.

Inhalation includes consumption of the substance through smoking and consumption of the substance through snorting.

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Since the introduction of inhalation spaces at overdose prevention sites (OPS) in 2020, the number of inhalation visits has continued to increase and in 2023 accounted for nearly 80% of witnessed consumption visits.

• * excluding alcohol and opioids
• ** excluding cocaine
• *** including  hallucinogens and inhalants
• For details on the  methodology used to derive estimates, refer to the CSUCH technical report.
• Costs due to  premature mortality were estimated by calculating future productive years of  life lost due to death. See the CSUCH technical report for more detail.
• Other CNS depressants exclude alcohol and  opioids, and other CNS stimulants exclude cocaine.
• These estimates do not include costs or  counts associated with premature mortality in Yukon for years 2017 to 2020 only.

Despite the higher death rates due to tobacco, potential years of life lost are higher for opioids than for tobacco because deaths due to opioids occur at much younger ages.

Decades of regulatory approaches have resulted in a substantial decline in tobacco smoking. However, smoking continues to be higher in Island Health than in BC and higher than the Canadian target (5%).

Youth cigarette smoking is declining in Island Health, with 20% of youth reporting ever smoking tobacco in 2023 compared to 24% in 2018.

* Interpret with caution due to moderate variability

The percentage of youth respondents from the First Nations Regional Health Survey who reported currently smoking (10%) was much lower than the proportion of adults who reported smoking, with 43% and 26% of those ages 18-54 and 55+ years, respectively, reporting currently smoking.

The red line refers to the enactment of the Cannabis Act (October 17, 2018). Error bars represent the lower and upper 95% confidence interval.

Cannabis (dried, fresh, or cannabis oil) was legalized for recreational use in B.C. in October 2018; edible cannabis was legalized in October 2019. Across Canada, overall reported consumption has increased moderately since legalization.

In Island Health, approximately half of young adults (18-29) use cannabis. Among other age groups, the majority of people report not using cannabis.

In 2023, fewer youth reported that they had ever used cannabis compared to in 2018 (28% vs. 32%). Over the past 20 years, the proportion of youth of who reported ever using cannabis has decreased by 1.6 times.

Frequency of cannabis use was similar across all HSDAs in Island Health, with the majority of respondents (approximately 70%) reporting never using cannabis and approximately 7% of respondents reporting daily use.

• The figures contained in the graphs and tables are derived using record-level data, estimates, and imputed data.
• 1 Litre of absolute Alcohol = 58.65 Standard Drinks.

Alcohol consumption (based on alcohol sales) has been gradually increasing over the past 20 years, with a notable increase in 2013/14 coinciding with the implementation of reforms following the provincial liquor policy review, and during the pandemic in 2019/20, both in Island Health and provincially.

Frequency of consumption in the past 12 months

In remote communities, 29% of people reported drinking 4 to 6 times a week.

Binge drinking is defined as 5+ drinks (male), 4+drinks (female) on at least one occasion in the past 12 months.

In remote communities, 44% of people reported binge drinking at least once a month.