Drug Overdose Deaths Plateau In LA County For 1st Time In Decade

LOS ANGELES, CA — Drug overdose deaths in Los Angeles County plateaued in 2023, marking the first time in 10 years fatal overdoses have held steady. Health officials say it's a sign their efforts are working, but more needs to be done to tackle the ongoing crisis.

The numbers were released Monday in an analysis from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, which found drug-related overdose and poisoning deaths dropped slightly from 3,220 in 2022 to 3,092 last year.

It marks the first reduction in deaths since 2014 and comes as such deaths spiked by over 300 percent in the past decade, according to health officials.

"The findings demonstrate that through a continuum of preventative, harm reduction, and treatment approaches, we can bend the curve on overdoses. That said, we are still at historic highs in terms of overdose and poisoning numbers and have a lot of work ahead of us to ensure continued declines in deaths. I encourage everyone to get naloxone, the overdose prevention medication, and to feel empowered to seek help for their substance use," DPH director Barbara Ferrer said in a statement.

Fentanyl continues to be a primary contributor to overdose and poisoning deaths, though methamphetamine is almost as large a contributor in LA County, according to DPH.

The largest share of overdose and poisoning deaths are among people between 26 and 64. Black people are disproportionately represented among such deaths, though Latino and white populations represent the highest number of fatalities, according to DPH.

Last year marked the first time that the number of Latinos rose above the number of white people who died from fentanyl-related overdoses.

DPH said the county has increased funding for substance use prevention by 260 percent, treatment by 275 percent and harm reduction services by 500 percent in response to the overdose crisis.