San Francisco drug overdose deaths hit all-time high in 2023 with FENTANYL largely to blame

By oliviacook // 2024-02-06

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The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of San Francisco has confirmed that nearly a hundred more people in the city died in 2023 of a fatal drug overdose than they did in the previous record-breaking year of 2020, with the deaths last year fueled largely by the ongoing fentanyl crisis. The final 2023 total of San Francisco fatal drug overdoses was 806 – a jump from the previous record of 726 overdose deaths in 2020, which was largely a Wuhan coronavirus disease (COVID-19) lockdown year. While those deaths declined in 2021 and 2022, the current staggering figure could "no longer be attributable" to the isolation brought about by the lockdown. SFist reported that four out of every five deaths involved fentanyl – the potent synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (Related: Alex Jones: FENTANYL crisis victimizes both young and old.) Many users are also not aware that fentanyl has been found mixed with other drugs. Complicating matters, fentanyl variants, like "tranq" or xylazine, a powerful animal tranquilizer, have been showing resistance to the overdose reversal medication Narcan. While the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of xylazine for animals as a pain reliever sedative, the animal tranquilizer is "not safe for use in humans and may result in serious and life-threatening side effects." In November 2022, the FDA cautioned healthcare professionals about the possible inclusion of xylazine in fentanyl, heroin and other illicit drug overdoses as naloxone "may not be able to reverse its effects." A "Report on 2023 accidental overdose deaths," which can be viewed at the San Francisco City & County Office website, also indicated additional concerns with bromazolam which, like xylazine, has contributed to the concerning number of overdose deaths in 2023. A World Health Organization Critical Review Report indicated that bromazolam is a synthetic benzodiazepine drug, which is regulated under psychoactive drug control regulations in Germany and the U.K. but does not appear to be controlled under national regulations in other countries. The overdose count has continued to soar despite the city's relentless struggle against drug-related deaths and Mayor London Breed's attempts to suppress the fentanyl trade.

Drug epidemic getting worse in most states

Recent data from the CDC showed that drug-related overdose deaths have risen in the past year and by up to 40 percent in some areas – showing no signs of the illicit drug epidemic plaguing America slowing down. The Daily Mail reported that the CDC report showed that the number of people in the U.S. who died in the 12 months was about likely higher than the reported 112,000 overall figure in 2023 given delays in reporting confirmed data. Washington State saw the largest increase in drug overdose deaths at 41 percent when comparing July 2022-2023 (3,414 deaths) to the previous July 2021-2022 (2,420 deaths). Nebraska was identified as the state with the largest decline in drug overdose deaths – with nearly an 18 percent drop from 231 deaths from July 2021-2022 to 190 from July 2022-2023. Following the Cornhusker State of Nebraska is Arkansas with a nearly 15 percent decline (from 634 to 542 deaths during the same comparative periods) and Indiana with a 14 percent decline from 2,769 to 2,382 deaths. Visit Overdose.news for more stories about drug overdose deaths in the United States. Watch this video of Tim Sharp from Red Voice Media interviewing political activist Anne Elizabeth about how the only way to combat the fentanyl crisis is to wage war on drug cartels. This video is from the Red Voice Media channel on Brighteon.com.

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Drug epidemic getting worse in most states

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