Tag Archives: Overdoses/Overdosing

Fentanyl overdose death leads to rare manslaughter conviction of drug dealer in Washington County

A 21-year-old man was sentenced in Washington County to more than six years in prison for second-degree manslaughter after selling fentanyl-laced pills to a 17-year-old boy who died from an overdose. The state prosecution was a rare use of a manslaughter charge to pursue a street-level drug supplier, Washington County District Attorney Kevin Barton said. […]
Read More »

Deschutes County health to spend millions to prevent opioid overdose

Deschutes County has received more than $1 million over the past two years in money to help curb opioid addiction, but has only spent a small faction of it in advertising, a website and hiring a community health specialist. But that doesn’t mean the county isn’t doing anything to curb the rise of opioid deaths. […]
Read More »

US overdose deaths dropped in 2023, the first time since 2018

The number of U.S. fatal overdoses fell last year, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data posted Wednesday. Agency officials noted the data is provisional and could change after more analysis, but that they still expect a drop when the final counts are in. It would be only the second annual decline since the current […]
Read More »

Fentanyl’s deadly impact on Oregon’s most populous county revealed in new report

Close to 600 people died from fentanyl overdoses in Multnomah County last year — an 80% increase from the previous year, when the opioid killed 329 people in the Portland area, according to the county’s fentanyl dashboard. This week, a new report from the county revealed not just how many people have been hurt by […]
Read More »

New data reveals leading causes of death amongst Oregon’s homeless population

A first-time full statewide Domicile Unknown report released by the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) last week shows homeless residents in Oregon died of an overdose at a rate 37 times higher than the overall statewide overdose rate. The new data reveals the leading cause of death amongst Oregon’s homeless residents is overdose followed by heart […]
Read More »

‘More than one per day’: Multnomah County report shows spike in fentanyl overdose deaths

In 2018 and 2019, an average of two people per month in Multnomah County died from a fentanyl overdose, a new county health report states. By last year, the average number rose to nearly 36 deaths per month. Eight hundred and sixty-eight. That’s how many people have died from a fentanyl overdose in Multnomah County […]
Read More »

Fatal fentanyl overdoses skyrocketed in Multnomah County, report says

Fentanly caused the death of roughly one person per day in 2023 in Multnomah County, skyrocketing in five years from what had been a few fatal overdoses per month, according to a new report. Health officials in Oregon’s largest county released the report on Tuesday, barely a week after Gov. Tina Kotek and other officials concluded […]
Read More »

Editorial: Parents/children don’t talk about drug dangers | Opinion |

It’s remarkable that there is not more awareness about the dangers of fentanyl and taking pills with no prescription. From our newspaper perch and considering the number of people opioids kill or send to the hospital, we thought there would be more parents talking to their children about it. Unintentional opioid overdose deaths in Oregon […]
Read More »

County Confirms a Third Inmate Fatally Overdosed on Fentanyl Last Year

Tera Harris, an inmate who died in Multnomah County Detention Center last October, fatally overdosed on fentanyl, according to an autopsy report Multnomah County officials released today. Harris, who was awaiting trial on charges of running over her ex-husband with a car, had a history of drug use. She had been on an “opioid use […]
Read More »

Fentanyl awareness campaigns kick off in Oregon amid an overdose epidemic 

The web-based and social media campaigns aim to educate youth, families and adults about the dangers of fentanyl and risk of overdose deaths and addiction. A national nonprofit organization released a new program on Tuesday to help families navigate the hazards of fentanyl and prevent deaths of young people as Oregon continues to battle the […]
Read More »