By Grace TooheyLos Angeles TimesLOS ANGELES — Fentanyl has continued to tighten its deadly grip on Los Angeles, with the synthetic opioid causing the majority of fatal overdoses countywide in 2022. County and academic leaders echoed Cowan’s concern — and none were surprised by fentanyl’s growing influence on drug deaths. Since 2016, overdoses in L.A. County have increased almost threefold, and there were about 200 more overdose deaths in 2022 than in 2021. “In the case of race/ethnicity, Black people account for 8% of the [county] population, and disproportionately accounted for 21% of fentanyl overdose deaths in 2022,” the report said. Officials have already warned about other synthetic opioids even more potent than fentanyl that have been linked to overdose deaths across the nation.

Source: Los Angeles Times December 17, 2023 13:07 UTC