Prescription drug deaths drop by 10% in San Diego County

SAN DIEGO (CNS) - Prescription drug deaths in San Diego County declined last year while deaths due to opiates like heroin and fentanyl rose, according to data released today by San Diego County's Prescription Drug Abuse Task Force.

The county's 2019 Prescription Drug Abuse Report Card found that 246 residents died due to prescription drug abuse last year, a decline of 10% over the county's 2017 figures. The report found that 7.4 people per 100,000 residents died due to prescription drug overdoses, the lowest rate of the last five years.

Fentanyl deaths per 100,000 people increased for the fift...