Butte County’s citizens have died from drug-induced death at a rate 3.5 times higher than the state average according to the State of California Department of Public Health.   Drug-induced deaths include all deaths for which drugs are the underlying cause. 

Butte County Public Health’s 2010 through 2012 drug-induced deaths three year total are 254, with an annual fatal overdose rate of 85 victims. 

In Butte County on average over the last three years someone dies from an overdose every 4.3 days.

In Butte County in 2000 there were 13 overdose victims that year.  By 2007 there were 67 overdose victims that year, an 81% increase.  Living in Butte County your chances are 2.5 times greater of dying from a drug-induced death than from a motor vehicle crash.

In Butte County during 2012 the youngest overdose victim was 16; the oldest was 84.   Of this group 28 were females and 44 males, with a combined average age of 48 years old.  The largest age demographic of overdose victims 23 were in their forties and 22 were in their fifties.

In 2012 only 3 of the 72 overdose deaths were attributed to alcohol directly, but frequently overdose victims have used alcohol with other drugs. 

With few exceptions those who have died from a drug overdose had more than one drug in their system.  Nationally pharmaceutical drug use now kills more people than illicit drugs.  

In Butte County in the last ten years 641 citizens have died from drug overdoses.  A problem of this magnitude will require a countywide effort and extremely strong leadership.   

Best case scenario Butte County’s Hospitals, Medical Professionals, County Supervisors, Health Services, Law Enforcement, City Councils, Community service organizations, citizens, and Chico State University all say that enough is enough and that it is time to address this issue collectively.  

Some believe we are only responsible for ourselves alone and the cost to address this issue too high. If this mentality were applied across the board, all deaths should then be overlooked.  Selectively choosing which deaths are cost friendly to control is obtuse. 

Butte County citizens must decide if men, women and children dying from drug overdoses every 4.3 days is acceptable.    If not, is Butte County willing to do the hard work needed to begin reducing this extreme rate of senseless drug-induced deaths?

 

James C. Bettencourt

530-330-3139

www.drugpreventioned.com