New research using drug-checking results could provide an insight into why toxic drug death tolls have been on a downward trend for two years now in B.C.

But scientists and officials say there are likely multiple factors behind exactly why the number of drug-related deaths in B.C. dropped by 21 per cent in 2025 compared to the previous year.

Though the number of overdose deaths have been dropping sharply across North America, those working in the field say there’s no reason to celebrate given thousands continue to die, and efforts to stop deaths should be stepped up.

“It’s not necessarily a decline in the crisis itself. The drug supply is still as toxic and unpredictable as ever, if not more so,” said Samuel Tobias, a researcher at the B.C. Centre on Substance Use and PhD candidate at the University of British Columbia.