King County sees record number of fentanyl deaths
Fentanyl continues to stalk Puget Sound, involved in more than 1,000 fatal overdoses in King County in 2023.
Fentanyl continues to haunt Puget Sound. Public Health Seattle King County data shows there were 1,060 overdose deaths involving fentanyl in 2023. That is nearly a 50% increase from 2022.
The drug’s deadly effects on the community have grown exponentially in a short period of time. The health department’s data shows in 2015, there were three fentanyl-involved overdose deaths.
Data shows it’s not just fentanyl-related overdoses that are increasing: deadly meth-involved overdoses are also spiking.
The numbers seem bleak, but people on the front line remain hopeful.
Militi-Jaigamian’s 20-year-old son, Giancarlo, died from a fentanyl overdose. Following her son’s tragic death, Militi-Jaigamian created a non-profit called the Fentanyl United Crisis Coalition.
“I’ve seen within just the year, the impact it’s having on people. I’ve had people come to me, and tell me, I’ve had young teenagers reach out to me, and tell me, they’re thanking me. They’re thanking me because their friends are dying, and it’s not ok with them,” she said.
“Seattle has really invested in a strategy that in the long-term will pay off. We have things like the crisis care centers that we’ll be standing up in this next year to two years from the levy that was passed,” he said.
United States Representative Primila Jayapal provided this statement:
FOX 13 News also spoke with a representative for Senator Patty Murray. The spokesperson said the fentanyl crisis is one of Murray’s top priorities, and she recently secured a $345 million increase in funding to address opioid abuse.
