Fentanyl fuels local spike in drug overdose deaths

Franklin County drug overdose deaths spiked for a second year in a row, an increase largely driven by an influx of fentanyl.

• The powerful opioid accounted for 89% of last year's 825 deaths, per the latest county coroner's report.

Why it matters: U.S. overdose deaths have been rising for years and the pandemic exacerbated the problem, with lockdowns initially making it harder to access treatment.

• Now secondary consequences, including depression and economic stressors, continue to have an impact.

The big picture: Over 100,000 people died from drug overdoses in the U.S. in 2021 — more than any other year on record, per the National Center for Health Statistics.

• That's up 15% from 2020, a previous record, Axios' Jacob Knutson reports.

Threat level: Ohio's drug overdose death rate was fourth highest in the nation in 2020, per the CDC's latest data.

Flashback: Earlier this year, health officials sounded the alarm about counterfeit drugs laced with fentanyl after two Ohio State students died from accidental overdoses.

• Authorities believe they ingested fake Adderall pills, per the Columbus Dispatch.

Zoom in: Despite reported increases in adolescent deaths nationwide, locally, fatalities among younger people (ages 15-34) decreased from 2020 to 2021, per the coroner's report.

• Fatalities in older age groups (45-64) increased, while deaths among people ages 35-44, the most impacted group, stayed consistent.

Of note: Victims were mostly male (70%) and white (65%), though deaths among African Americans increased 8% over five years.

• Fentanyl, cocaine, amphetamine and alcohol use is increasing, but use of heroin and opioids other than fentanyl is decreasing.
• Franklin County logged no heroin-related deaths for most of 2021, per the report.

What's happening: Ohio used federal pandemic relief funds to invest in addiction treatment programs and Franklin County promotes a variety of other addiction support services.

• The county also works to educate residents about how to identify and prevent overdoses, along with offering free overdose-reversing medication.

Separately, Ohio lawmakers enacted a "Relapse Reduction Act" this summer, which increased criminal penalties for drug trafficking near addiction services facilities and selling drugs to those undergoing treatment.

• While law enforcement officials applauded the bill, civil liberties groups opposed the effort to tackle addiction as a criminal justice issue.