There’s been a drop in drug overdose deaths in Ventura County. A new report released by the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s office shows that overdose deaths dropped 5% in 2023, and 8% since 2021.
There were 265 overdose deaths in the county last year. 234 of them were accidental, with 22 suicides, eight deaths undetermined and one a homicide.
The number of fentanyl deaths dropped by 2%. But, fentanyl was still a factor in 178 of the county’s 265 overdose deaths. There’s been a big push in the county and nationally to increase awareness about the fentanyl danger.
The number of methamphetamine deaths was down by 25%. The largest chunk of overdose deaths in the county might be of people older than you might expect. 67 of the deaths were people between 31 and 40 years old.
