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SLO County set a record for deaths from drug overdoses in 2020

January 2, 2021

The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff-Coroner’s Office reported a record number of deaths from drug overdoses in 2020, according to the Paso Robles Daily News.

During the past year, at least 57 people died from drug overdoses in SLO County, and likely more. The coroner is currently investigating an additional 19 deaths as possible overdoses, which could raise the total number of deaths from overdoses to 76.

For the past several years, SLO County has noted an increase in drug overdoses with 41 in 2017, 44 in 2018 and 53 in 2019.

Locally and throughout the nation, opiates such as heroin and fentanyl have led to the majority of fatal overdoses.

In response to the surge in drug overdoses, the CDC provided the following strategies for medical personnel and others to reduce deaths.

  • Increase access to care, including to mental health and substance use disorder treatment and support services.
  • Increase access to programs that target overdose prevention.
  • Increase distribution of and access to naloxone, especially for bystanders who may be able to reverse an opioid overdose.
  • Reduce high-risk drug use by improving prescribing practices, preventing initiation of drug use, and addressing use of multiple drugs.

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If you only count those who are young and or have healthy lifestyles who died for COVID 19, I’m sure there are more who volunteered to die through drug usage. Sure, we can diminish these statistics by saying overdose but the trajectory for drug usage is common knowledge among their culture. Then again I just need another fix, its got to be cheap and say good night while COVID gets the front stage.


-2

ya like dont drive dont die in car crashes type strategy?


no drugs no drug overdoses?


what about the users or persons skills and capabilities factor?


like race car drivers are skillful in driving “reckless”?


just an alternate type of reasoning i thought id present!


-5

That’s what you get.


-1

Sad to hear, but we should really just focus on the covid cases. Their surging


-13

Bummer. Don’t do drugs and maybe you won’t die. Totally preventable. Just like aids.


14

Not as many as I expected, roughly 13 more than in the past few years. I am sure isolation and lockdowns increased the drug problem along with decriminalization.


31