Drug overdoses are the leading cause of death among adolescents and middle-aged adults

According to the latest data from the State of California, drug overdose is the leading cause of death among people ages 15 to 54 in San Luis Obispo County.

According to the CDC, opioids are responsible for 70% of drug-related deaths.

According to the California Overdose Monitoring Dashboard, in 2023 there were 77 opioid-related deaths in the county, 135 people visited the emergency room in connection with an opioid overdose, and 46 people were hospitalized.

“Almost all opioid overdose deaths among young people ages 15 to 29 have involved fentanyl,” said Jennifer Rhoads, coordinator of the Opioid Safety Coalition.

From 2017 to 2022, 220 people died of a drug overdose in the district. That's 26 15- to 24-year-olds, 72 25- to 34-year-olds, 56 35- to 44-year-olds and 66 45- to 54-year-olds.

“Two milligrams is considered lethal,” Rhoads added. “That amount of powdered fentanyl would sit on the tip of a pencil.”

Glenn Ferdinand, visiting San Luis Obispo County from Southern California on Tuesday, said his cousin's teenage daughter and her friend died of fentanyl overdoses at a party in May.

“It was excruciating,” Ferdinand said. “But it's out there. Kids are using it. They're introduced to it at parties. Kids who have never been exposed to it are handed a pill or something laced with fentanyl at a party.”

After dropping his son off for his freshman year at Cal Poly, he said talking to his four sons about the issue helped them avoid potential dangers.

“Just parents, talk to your children,” the father repeats. “I talk to my children about it. I've raised four boys. My youngest is 14. And, you know, we talk about it.”

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