SF Suffers Worst Drug Overdose Death Year on Record

San Francisco lost a record number of lives to drug overdoses this year, breaking the city’s previous grim milestone for drug deaths set in 2020.

At least 752 people died of drug overdoses in just the first 11 months of this year, with 57 of those deaths coming in November, according to preliminary data released by the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office Thursday.

The city still has one month of overdose death data left to collect for 2023.

In 2020, the previous record-setting year, 726 people died of drug overdoses in the city. Last year, 649 overdose deaths were recorded in San Francisco—that figure was surpassed in October this year, when the city recorded 692 overdose deaths, according to preliminary data.

In over 80% of overdose deaths this year, fentanyl was listed as a contributing factor in the cause of death, according to city data.

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The city also listed two record-breaking months for overdose deaths: August and January, each suffering more drug deaths than any other month in the city’s history.

The preliminary data found 87 people died of overdoses in August; the number could change as the data is yet to be finalized. In January, 84 people died of overdoses, according to finalized data.

The Chief Medical Examiner’s Office can take months to certify an overdose death before releasing the official data.

This is a developing story and will be updated.