
fentanyl
In 2021, more than 70,000 Americans died from a fentanyl overdose. The number was close to 58,000 in 2020.
Fentanyl is now the leading cause of death for American adults.
With a population of about 10 million, L.A. County saw at least 1,571 fentanyl-related deaths in 2021, that we know of.
To compare, in the United Kingdom, which has a population of 69 million, only 58 people died from fentanyl poisoning in 2021.
L.A. County’s numbers for 2022 are still incomplete.
Most fentanyl deaths are accidental overdoses. A few are suicides. There are also natural deaths that were hastened by the decedents’ previous use of fentanyl.