Fentanyl Overdose Deaths Spiked More than 200% During Pandemic

WATCH – POSSIBLE DEATH IN EVERY SHOT –

June 16, 2021 – Fentanyl is a synthetic chemical compound that’s much cheaper and easier to make than heroine – but 20 times as potent. Imagine one-fifth of the amount of powder in a packet of artificial sweetener – that’s how little fentanyl it takes to kill someone.

NBC 7 Investigates analyzed county data and uncovered fentanyl deaths rocketed by more than 200% in 2020. We are now on pace to surpass 1,000 deaths this year – to put that in perspective, 151 San Diegans died from fentanyl in 2019.

“Those numbers are just not sustainable,” Wasser said. “Something has to hit home enough to where people have to notice.”

For Manning, the threat of a prison sentence motivated him to get clean.

“I had no idea how sick I was,” Manning said. “It had nothing to do with the substances. It was the way that I was interacting with the world. My mental health, anxieties and depressions, shame and guilt.”

Sober for nearly three years now, Manning wants those struggling with addiction to know it’s never too late.

“I found meaning in everything,” says Manning. “I found purpose in life. I found direction. And, and I’m not giving it up. It’s not going to happen.”

You can’t underestimate San Diego’s role in the problem on a national level. The state of California only accounts for 10% of the border with Mexico but claims the majority of fentanyl seizures at the border.

Border seizures increased by 142% from 2019 to 2020. Just like the number of fentanyl deaths, seizures during the first five months of this year have already surpassed all of 2019.

If you are struggling with addiction or know someone who is, the hotline below is from SAMHSA – a taxpayer-funded, national, 24/7 treatment locator and helpline organization.