(The Center Square) – After a record-high in 2024, Spokane County Medical Examiner Dr. Veena Singh told The Center Square she expects the total number of overdose deaths to fall in 2025, but not by much.
The homelessness and opioid crisis have fueled the rise in recent years, but Singh said fentanyl, drugs sold as fentanyl mixed with others and polysubstance use are the biggest drivers for overdose deaths. She recorded 353 deaths in 2024, just over 17% more than the 301 overdose deaths she tallied in 2023.
Singh told The Center Square on Monday that her office has recorded 332 cases where drugs caused or contributed to death so far in 2025, but they still have 33 more awaiting testing. More than half are historically recorded as overdoses, but she said it will take a few more months to get back the results…