5 years of overdoses: How many have happened in Butler County?

Fatal drug overdoses have started creeping back up in Butler County.

There have been 65 confirmed drug overdose deaths this year. There were 177 last year, up from 159 the previous year. The five-year-high came in 2017, when 232 people died.

Addiction officials said users moved from heroin to other drugs, primarily methamphetamine, when deadly fentanyl-laced heroin flooded the illegal drug market. Fentanyl was present in 87% (154) of last year’s overdoses.

Click here to read the full report about the overdoses and Butler County’s efforts to sue multiple pharmaceutical companies.

Here’s a look at Butler County fatal overdose numbers in the past five years, including how often these drugs were involved (some overdoses included both drugs).

YearTotalFentanylMethamphetamine
202017787%35%
201915981%63%
201816482%52%
201723283%45%
201619280%11%

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