VIDEO – LIFE ON THE STREETS –
Jan. 17, 2024 – San Francisco recorded 806 accidental drug overdoses in 2023, according to preliminary city data published Wednesday, blowing past its 2022 count of 649 as well as 2020’s previous record of 726 deaths. The powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl, which can be fatal even in incredibly small doses, remains a leading factor in the number of accidental overdoses, which spiked during the start of the pandemic.
The data shows that fentanyl was in the systems of 653 of the 806 people who died from overdoses in 2023, often in combination with other drugs. Methamphetamine was detected in the systems of about half of the people who died, while cocaine was detected for 370 people.
