For the third year in a row, accidental drug-related overdose and poisoning deaths have dropped in Los Angeles County, a decline officials attribute to ongoing investments in prevention and harm reduction resources countywide.
There were 2,298 accidental drug overdose and poisoning deaths in 2025, down 6%, a relatively small drop from 2,438 the prior year but an overall substantial reduction from the all-time high of 3,220 deaths countywide in 2022, according to a recent report from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
Drug overdoses continue to be the leading cause of accidental deaths countywide — surpassing the deaths due to vehicle crashes and firearms in 2017 combined — with methamphetamine and fentanyl most often involved in the overdoses.
The problem reached a historic high in 2022 when fentanyl surpassed methamphetamine as the most common drug listed as a cause of overdose deaths. At the time, the number of overdoses in general had increased across the board.
However, these accidental deaths have been on a downward trend, with a nearly 30% overall decrease in drug-related overdoses from 2022 to 2025. Fentanyl-related deaths dropped by 40% and methamphetamine-related deaths declined by 25% in that period.
Fentanyl is no longer the leading driver of overdose-related deaths, plunging to 49% compared with its peak of 64% in 2023. Methamphetamine became the leading driver in 2025 at 61%.
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Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times