San Francisco opioid overdose deaths increasing

So far this year, San Francisco appears to be losing ground and lives in its fight against opioid addiction.

The San Francisco Department of Public Health announced yesterday that the city has averaged at least two people dying every day from drug overdoses in the first three months of 2025.

According to the city Medical Examiner’s Office, 192 people have died from overdoses this year in San Francisco. That’s a monthly average of 64 deaths, mostly caused by the highly potent, synthetic opioid fentanyl.

The city’s Public Health Director Daniel Tsai said at a news conference: "Every overdose death we have here in the city and county of San Francisco is preventable. It's unacceptable and it's tragic."

This year's preliminary numbers are up sharply from the second half of 2024, when overdose deaths declined to an average of 43 people dying per month.