Stanislaus County remains in the throes of a fentanyl epidemic that has killed hundreds of residents in the past few years.
According to updated numbers released last week, the Coroner’s Office has confirmed 93 drug overdose deaths in 2024, as of about mid-June. Of those, 61 deaths were related to illegal fentanyl use and 23 were caused by methamphetamine.
The county is on pace to approach the record-high mortality that alarmed health officials last year. Stanislaus had 213 fatal overdoses last year, including 138 related to fentanyl.
In the last three and a half years, the county has recorded 660 drug overdose deaths, including 422 caused by fentanyl overdose or poisoning. Around 65% of drug fatalities are attributed to fentanyl sold illegally as counterfeit tablets, powder or an ingredient in other drugs like cocaine or methamphetamine.
The synthetic opioid is highly potent. A U.S. State Department official declared last year that fentanyl was killing more American adults ages 18 to 49 than any other public health threat.
The most recent local data was released at the Stanislaus County Opioid Safety Coalition’s monthly meeting. Because of the six- to eight-week time period for getting toxicology results, the latest numbers represent a partial count for 2024.
Assemblyman Juan Alanis, R-Modesto, is hoping that Gov. Gavin Newsom will sign his bill to improve response to opioid-related emergencies. Assembly Bill 1996 would require that overdose-reversing naloxone is readily available at entertainment venues including stadiums and amusement parks. Starting in 2026, it would ensure that staff at concerts and other venues know the location of reversal medications and how to respond during a drug overdose.
Alanis also wrote a bill to require coroners to test for xylazine in overdose autopsy cases and report positive tests to the overdose detection mapping program managed by the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program.
Xylazine, a horse tranquilizer called tranq, may be combined with fentanyl, causing users to suffer from skin lesions and infections.
Alanis’ bill AB 1859 also would require a quarterly report to the California Department of Public Health. The bill recently was sent to what’s known as the “suspense file” for a fiscal-impact analysis.
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