LOS ANGELES—Overdose deaths attributed to the synthetic opioid fentanyl skyrocketed in Los Angeles County over a five-year period ending in 2021, with such fatalities increasing by 1,280 percent, according to a report released on Nov. 29 by the county department of public health.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office and the health department, in a joint statement, also announced the creation of a working group that will address the fentanyl crisis “through prevention, education, and enforcement.”
The health department report found that there were 109 deaths attributed to fentanyl overdose in the county in 2016—but that number ballooned to 1,504 in 2021. Between 2016 and 2020, visits to hospital emergency rooms due to fentanyl overdoses increased by 308 percent, going from 133 to 542.
While white residents accounted for the most overdose deaths last year, black residents had the highest rate of deaths based on the population at 30.6 per 100,000 residents. The rate of white residents dying from fentanyl overdoses was 22.5 per 100,000 residents, while Latino residents had a rate of 11.1 per 100,000 residents.
Fentanyl overdose deaths also occurred at a much higher rate in less affluent areas—38.4 per 100,000 residents—than in more affluent areas, which had a rate of 12.3 per 100,000 residents.
“Fentanyl overdoses are a significant and growing public health problem across the United States and in [the county], across sociodemographic groups and geographic areas,” the report reads.
“The increases among youth and the widening inequities between under-resourced and more affluent groups underscore the need to target prevention efforts to those at highest risk to decrease fentanyl overdoses and advance health equity in [LA County].”
In announcing his office’s partnership with the health department on the working group to address the crisis, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón called the proliferation of fentanyl-related deaths “one of the gravest challenges of our times.”
“We are bringing together the county’s public health experts, education leaders, community advocates, and law enforcement professionals to support and utilize evidence-based and effective approaches to stopping the toll fentanyl is taking,” Gascón said in a statement.
“This multi-faceted approach is necessary because if the failed ‘War on Drugs’ of the ’90s has taught us one thing, it is that we cannot incarcerate our way out of a public health issue.
“Enforcement is not enough. Saving lives is the priority when addressing substance abuse and illicit drug use, as only the living have the opportunity to recover.”
Joining the district attorney’s office and the health department in the working group will be the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles County Office of Education, the Los Angeles Unified School District, the Los Angeles School Police Department, the Los Angeles County Police Chiefs Association, the Drug Policy Alliance, and school districts throughout the county, the district attorney and health department said in their joint statement.
“As our data indicates, the tragedies resulting from fentanyl are indiscriminately impacting all populations regardless of age, race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status,” Los Angeles County Health Director Barbara Ferrer said.
“Fentanyl’s reach is unfortunately broad, calling for a similarly broad approach to address the crisis. I am grateful for this opportunity to work in collaboration with people from many different sectors to address this important public health issue.”
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