Accidental overdoses increased in August in San Francisco

San Francisco had one of its deadliest months for accidental overdoses in August since 2020, according to data released this week from the city's medical examiner.

Why it matters: San Francisco is facing a grim reality, as it's on pace to have the deadliest year for accidental overdoses since January 2020, when the city began publicly reporting overdose deaths.

Driving the news: The city recorded 84 accidental overdose deaths in August, joining January 2023 as the deadliest month on record.

• In July, there were 74 recorded accidental overdoses in the city.

The big picture: Fueling San Francisco's drug epidemic is fentanyl, which has accounted for the majority of accidental overdose deaths this year, according to the city.

• Through August, San Francisco recorded 563 accidental overdoses, outpacing the same time frame in 2020, when the city recorded 475 accidental overdoses.
• San Francisco recorded a total of 725 overdoses in 2020, 640 in 2021 and 647 in 2022.

Go deeper: San Francisco urges 911 and 311 calls for people in crisis