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 report released Nov. 29 by the county Department of Public Health.
Meanwhile, the LA County District Attorney’s Office and the health department, in a joint statement, announced Tuesday 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….