COLUMBUS, Ohio (WTVN)--The Franklin County Coroner says overdose deaths increased 15% in the first nine months of 2019, compared to the same time frame the previous year.
Dr. Anahi Ortiz released preliminary information on the statistics on Monday. It shows that 421 people died of an overdose between January and September of 2019. Opiates were responsible for 90% of those deaths.
Fentanyl also accounted for over 83% of all overdose deaths.
In terms of demographics, the highest number of people that died of an overdose were between the ages of 30 and 49. More than two-thirds of overdose victims were white, and nearly 70-percent of the victims were male.
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