Investigation: Bay Area Sees Rise in Opiate Overdoses
A Bay Area News Group investigation found that the number of residents in the San Francisco Bay area who had opiates in their systems when they died has grown steadily over the past decade, with some areas reporting that rates have doubled and tripled in numbers. For example, the investigation showed that 220 people died as a result of opiate overdoses last year in Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, nearly double the amount a decade ago.
- "Opiate Overdoses: Painkillers' Toll Steadily Rising in Bay Area" (Ioffee, Mercury News/Contra Costa Times, 9/6).