Commentary
More than the rest of the country, California continues to suffer large numbers of fentanyl deaths. The Feb. 15 update on the California Overdose Surveillance Dashboard, run by the state government, shows the numbers for 2021, the last full year data are available. There were 7,175 deaths related to any opioid overdose, of which 5,961 were deaths related to fentanyl overdose, or 83 percent.
Interestingly, there also were 14,777,578 prescriptions for opioids—that is, legal use, including fentanyl prescriptions. I’ve know people, such as those with cancer or who are in post-operative care, for whom an opioid prescription is the difference between a tolerable life and extreme suffering. Although abuses happen, such uses are legitimate….