Drug-Related Deaths Climbing in King County

SEATTLE (AP) – Public Health- Seattle & King County officials say drug-related deaths have continued to increase in the county, with fatal overdoses involving methamphetamine and fentanyl on the rise.

The Seattle Times reports that last year, 415 King County residents died from drug or alcohol use – up from 379 in 2017, according to a report released Tuesday by Public Health.

Of those who died, 20% to 25% had been drinking alcohol but largely in combination with other drugs. Public Health found that 77 percent of people who died had multiple substances in their system.

Fatal overdoses from prescription opioids and heroin have remained stable in recent years, while fentanyl-related deaths doubled since 2017, climbing to 66 last year.

Illicit opioids were involved in the most deaths overall, but methamphetamine became the most common drug associated with overdose deaths for the first time.
—
Information from: The Seattle Times, http://www.seattletimes.com