The parents of a Vancouver teen who died of an overdose in November celebrated his 17th birthday at his high school to honor him and bring attention to the problem with toxic drugs. In November, Tyler Dunlap passed away as a result of taking fentanyl-containing drugs. Karen and Greg Dunlap stated that they hope that by sharing their son’s story, it will spark more discussion about addiction and mental health. “They spent the morning at Kitsilano Secondary handing out pamphlets and joining their son’s friends, classmates, and teachers in a moment of silence. Greg stated, “Our son died from an overdose of fentanyl, which he didn’t know he was taking.” “This occurs to everyone, and it can occur to anyone,” Karen stated that it is necessary for people to be able to freely discuss the dangers of ingesting unknown substances. She stated, “I don’t think that is a conversation that is happening in schools, and kids think that they are completely invincible, and they are not.” It has been nine years since British Columbia declared a public health emergency in response to the toxic drug crisis. Since the declaration of the emergency in 2016, unregulated toxic drugs have claimed the lives of more than 16,000 people.
B.C. teen who died of drug overdose remembered with moment of silence at his school
