Ohio Drug Overdose Report available
The Ohio Department of Health’s 2018 Ohio Drug Overdose Data: General Findings Report is now available HERE on the ODH website.
Key findings from the report include:
- In 2018, 3,764 people died of unintentional drug overdoses, a decrease of 1,090 compared to 2017 and the lowest number of deaths since 2015.
- Fentanyl was involved in nearly 73% of overdose deaths in 2018, often in combination with other drugs. That percentage was up from 71% in 2017, 58% in 2016, and nearly 38% in 2015.
- In 2018, fentanyl was involved in nearly 80% of all heroin-related overdose deaths, 74% of all cocaine-related overdose deaths, and 67% of all psychostimulant/methamphetamine-related overdose deaths. Carfentanil was involved in 75 fentanyl-related overdose deaths in 2018 compared to 1,010 in 2017.
- For the second year in a row, the population with the highest overall overdose death rate was among black non-Hispanic males (49.5 per 100,000 population) followed closely by white non-Hispanic males (48.1 per 100,000 population).
- The age groups with the highest overdose death rates were 35-44-year-old white non-Hispanic males (110.4 per 100,000 population), followed by 55-64-year-old black non-Hispanic males (108.8 per 100,000 population).
- The number of unintentional overdose deaths involving psychostimulants/methamphetamine increased 5% in 2018 while deaths involving all other drug categories declined.
- The number of overdose deaths involving natural and semi-synthetic opioids (e.g., oxycodone and hydrocodone) declined 42% from 2017 to 2018.
- Cocaine-related overdose deaths declined 29% from 2017 to 2018.
- Heroin-related overdose deaths declined nearly 28% from 2017 to 2018.
