The BC Coroners say 125 people died in the province from drug overdoses in January, which was a 25% increase over December 2017.
However, it's 17 fewer deaths than the 142 recorded last January, which was the second deadliest month on record.
But it's also higher than last year's monthly average, which was just under 120 deaths.
The highest number in January came from Vancouver, which had 33 deaths, with 15 reported in Surrey and 14 in Victoria.
No specific statistics for Kelowna were included in the data, though the Interior Health Authority as a whole reported 19 deaths in January.
That's one higher than the 18 recorded in the first month of last year.
Last year, Interior Health had nearly 32 deaths per 100,000 people - a number only surpassed by the Vancouver Coastal Authority.