The B.C. Coroners Service said Monday that preliminary data shows 158 people died in September of suspected drug toxicity.
That equates to 5.3 deaths per day.
Fraser and Vancouver Coastal Health authorities have recorded the highest number of unregulated drug deaths this year, making up 56 per cent of all such deaths in the province.
However, the Northern and Interior health authorities recorded the highest rates of deaths by population. Northern Health reported 47 deaths per 100,000 people, followed by Interior Health at 38 per 100,000.
The coroners service said fentanyl and its analogues continue to be the top substance found in toxicological testing, followed by cocaine and meth. Smoking was the most common method of consumption.
Close to half of deaths this year happened in private homes, while 21 per cent were outdoors.
The number unregulated drug deaths among youth under the age of 18 increased to 20, compared to 17 between January and September last year.
There have been a total of 1,384 unregulated drug deaths in B.C. so far this year. That compares to more than 1834 deaths at the same time last year.
