Report: Fentanyl deaths in San Francisco surge; City on track to surpass previous totals

SAN FRANCISCO — The fentanyl crisis in San Francisco shows no sign of ebbing according to a new report which shows last month was one of the deadliest.

During the first five months of 2023, the number of accidental overdose deaths in the city was 346, a more than 40% spike over the same time period last year, according to a preliminary report from the city’s Medical Examiner’s Office. 

In May the preliminary number of overdose deaths was 74, which would make it the worst May since the city began releasing monthly overdose death data in 2020.

Of the total accidental overdose deaths, nearly 80% are due to fentanyl, according to the report. The current rate of overdose deaths would put San Francisco on track to surpass the deaths recorded in 2020 (712), 2021(641) and 2022 (647).

The figures cited in the medical examiner’s report could be updated later as the medical examiner’s office completes additional death investigations.

There were 83 overdose deaths in January, the most since the city began releasing the figures. The totals dropped to 52 in February before ticking up again in March, April and May.

Yesterday, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that the California Highway Patrol had seized over 4.2 kilograms of fentanyl in the Tenderloin District and surrounding areas, enough to kill 2.3 million people.

Last month, Newsom and city officials launched a law enforcement partnership with the CHP and the California National Guard to combat the sale and distribution of fentanyl in key areas of the city, including the Tenderloin neighborhood.