San Francisco sees record number of fatal drug overdoses in 2023

The San Francisco Chief Medical Examiner’s Office revealed that the city has seen a record number of accidental drug overdose deaths this year, many of which included fentanyl, according to a report released Thursday.

The report shows the city recorded 752 accidental fatal overdoses during the first 11 months of 2023, surpassing the previous record of 726 in the entirety of 2020. The office said that of the 752 accidental overdoses, 613 contained fentanyl.

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The report also noted that 37 of the overdoses involved heroin and 52 involved opioids that are often prescribed by doctors, such as codeine, hydrocodone, methadone, morphine, and oxycodone. The report also found that 387 of the people had methamphetamine in their system and 346 involved cocaine.

The United States is in the midst of a drug and fentanyl crisis. Fentanyl is considered 50 times stronger than heroin.

Illicit fentanyl often creeps into the U.S. across the southern border and is largely made in Mexico with the help of Chinese precursors. The epidemic causes tens of thousands of deaths a year.

The overdose deaths largely occur when drug users are unaware that the drugs they take are laced with fentanyl, which can be deadly in small quantities.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed has sought to prioritize mental health-focused solutions to the drug epidemic in her city, and District Attorney Brooke Jenkins has made prosecuting drug dealers a core pillar of her agenda, which is a reversal from the positions of other prosecutors. Breed has also requested aid from the federal government to assist local law enforcement.

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The overall number of fatal overdoses in 2023 so far is an increase of 16% compared to 2022, according to the report, which saw 649 accidental overdoses in the whole year. However, 2023’s number is expected to rise once December’s numbers are factored in.

Fentanyl overdose deaths have also more than tripled in the U.S. as a whole since 2016, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.