Franklin County coroner Doctor Anahi Ortiz says fatal overdoses jumped 73% in the first half of 2020, with 437 deaths.
Fentanyl compounds remain responsible for the bulk of deaths. 85% of overdoses involved fentanyl alone or combined with other drugs, up 5% from the same period in 2019. Ortiz says methamphetamine related fatalities increased slightly in 2020.
The demographics of overdose remain largely unchanged.
52% of overdose deaths occured in people aged 25-44, another 22% were 45-54.
There was a 2% drop in the number of women who overdosed, 71% of deaths were men.
Around two-thirds of all drug fatalities in Franklin County were white.
