Agriculture Minister Lana Popham loses 23-year-old stepson to accidental drug overdose

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      Dan Sealey has been described as a "brilliant, hilarious, happy kid who struggled with both mental illness and addiction later in life".

      The Victoria native has now joined a shockingly long list of British Columbians who've succumbed to accidental drug overdoses.

      Sealey was the 23-year-old stepson of Agriculture Minister Lana Popham, who posted his obituary on her Facebook page.

      "Those who were lucky enough to know him will remember the funny, caring, smart, talented and special person that he was but may not know about the struggles he faced over the past few years with mental health and addiction," the obit states. "He was taken from us far too soon by accidental overdose before he got to fulfill his dream of being a Physics teacher."

      A fundraising page has been created on Facebook to help others facing similar struggles. It's raised US$6,891 as of this writing.

      The page states that Sealey was a line cook at Yates Street Taphouse Bar & Grill in downtown Victoria and was attending Central Washington University.

      The B.C. Coroners Service's most recent monthly statistics revealed that 128 people died of illicit-drug overdoses in September.

      There have only been two months since October 2016 when there were fewer than 100 overdose deaths.

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