B.C. Premier apologizes, says he misspoke on comments about drug addiction

British Columbia's premier is apologizing for comments he made Thursday comparing the COVID-19 pandemic to the province's ongoing opioid crisis.

B.C. set a new record of 175 overdose deaths in June, surpassing the record just set in May and about 5,000 people have died since the province declared a public health emergency in 2016.

Advocates have questioned whether the opioid crisis has been overshadowed by the pandemic, despite occurring for longer and with a higher death toll.

Horgan told reporters Friday that he ``mischaracterized'' the challenges of addiction.

He says he knows addictions come from a place of despair and trauma and he regrets that while trying to get a point across about two completely different issues he spoke longer than he should have.

On Thursday, he told reporters that drug users initially make the choice to use and then they become dependent.