Cuyahoga County saw more than 700 overdose for the second time in its history in 2021.
The county had 715 overdose deaths last year, according to data from the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office. That figure is up from 553 overdose deaths last year and is the second highest number the county has experienced in a calendar year. There were 727 overdose deaths in 2017.
Fentanyl remains the largest contributor to overdose deaths in the county, as has been the case since 2016. In 2021, 480 overdose deaths involved fentanyl or its analogs (the medical examiner’s office groups analog deaths together with fentanyl). That’s the second-most in the county’s history, again behind 2017 when there were 493 fentanyl-related deaths.
Of those who died of fentanyl-related overdose deaths in the county, a record 31.04 percent were Black, according to the medical examiner’s office. In 2020, 25 percent of fentanyl overdose victims were Black. In 2019, that figure was 27.8 percent. In 2016, it was 14.5 percent.
There were a record number of cocaine-related overdoses in 2021 with 316. That surpasses the previous high of 300 in 2017. A record 244 overdose deaths involved a combination of fentanyl and cocaine in 2021, according to the medical examiner’s office data. The previous high was 190 in 2017.
Overdose deaths involving heroin remained relatively static in 2021. There were 55 heroin-related overdose deaths last year, up from 51 in 2020. That figure is well below the 2017 peak of 324.
Deaths involving carfentanil saw a significant decrease for the second straight year. After deaths involving the highly potent large animal sedative peaked with 240 deaths in 2019, that figure dropped to 63 the following year. In 2021, only six overdose deaths involved carfentanil.
Medical examiner’s office data shows that 78 people died of overdose in November, a record high. Fifty-six of those deaths involved fentanyl, 33 involved a combination of fentanyl and cocaine, and 15 involved cocaine alone.
On Nov. 8, Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner Thomas P. Gilson issued a public health alert after at least 12 people died from overdoses over a two-day period. In the alert, Gilson said the “public should be aware that there is a serious threat to their lives if they are using street drugs right now in Cuyahoga County.”
Gilson highlighted that short-term and long-term intervention strategies are available. Free kits of the opioid-overdose reversal medication are available from MetroHealth’s Project DAWN Program. Information about that program can be found by calling 216-778-5677.
Gilson said that naloxone and fentanyl test strips work with most fentanyl analogs. Fentanyl test strips are rapid tests that are used to determine if drugs have been mixed or cut with fentanyl. The CDC stated these strips provide people who use drugs, as well as communities, with “important information about fentanyl in the illicit drug supply so they can take steps to reduce their risk of overdose.”
Fentanyl test strips are available for free at multiple locations in Cuyahoga County, but are predominantly found in Cleveland. In the east side suburbs, the strips can be found at LaBarberia Institute of Hair, 1633 Golden Gate Plaza in Mayfield Heights.
A full list of locations can be found at www.testyourdrugscc.com.
The Cuyahoga County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS) provided a 24-hour crisis hotline at 216-623-6888.
