Those government statistics prove the scope of the drug problem, and Butte County is an epicenter. Butte County has the third-highest drug-induced death rate in the state among the 58 counties, according to the California Department of Public Health. Data from the county coroner’s office reveals about 63 people die from drug-related deaths each year.
The problem is pervasive, with the nation in the midst of a prescription opioid and heroin overdose epidemic. In 2014, opioids were involved in 61 percent of all drug overdose deaths nationwide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Last year, 68 percent of drug-induced deaths in Butte County were opioid related.
Professionals in medicine, education and law enforcement speculate the reason why the death toll is so high in Butte County is complex, involving limited resources, childhood trauma and a historical push to prescribe painkillers.
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