SPOKANE, Wash. – An annual Spokane County Medical Examiner report shared on Tuesday showed an increase in drug overdose deaths. Fentanyl continued to be the most common drug involved in these incidents.
The report provides a snapshot of the 2024 calendar year. Accidental deaths, primarily due to overdoses, increased by 12 percent compared to the previous year.
Overdoses in Spokane County have risen each year since 2019. Fentanyl-related deaths contributed significantly to this increase.
Meth, cocaine and heroin followed fentanyl as the most frequently involved drugs in overdoses. The report also notes that the rise in overdoses disproportionately affects homeless individuals, with cases more than doubling over the past two years.
“Unfortunately, we did have a sharp increase in overdose deaths in people between the ages of 30 and 40, and 50, so that middle age group is still using drugs or overdosing in larger numbers” Spokane Medical Examiner Dr. Veena Singh said.
Overdose numbers for those under 30 and over 60 years old are leveled off according to Singh. Although these age groups still overdosed at historically high rates, there has been slight improvement compared to previous years.
