Fentanyl caused a majority of fatal overdoses in Los Angeles County for the first time last year, with nearly 60% of the area’s overdose deaths attributed to the increasingly popular opioid. Fentanyl replaced methamphetamine as the county’s most common drug cited as the cause of accidental drug or alcohol overdose deaths, according to a new report from the L.A. County Department of Public Health.

“It’s absolutely heartbreaking,” Amanda Cowan, executive director of Community Health Project Los Angeles, told the Los Angeles Times, adding, “These communities are just being decimated.”

In 2022, Los Angeles County reported 3,220 accidental overdoses. Of those, more than 1,900 deaths were caused at least in part by fentanyl, according to county data. Under the county’s reporting protocols, more than one drug may be listed as the cause of an overdose death.

L.A.’s spike in overdose deaths caused by fentanyl comes at a time of record overall overdose deaths nationwide. In 2021, 107,573 people died of an overdose in the United States, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The number dropped slightly last year, falling to 105,452 in 2022, a decrease of 2%

“We’re still amid the worst overdose crisis in history, and that’s obviously an emergency situation,” said Dr. Gary Tsai, director of Los Angeles County’s Substance Abuse Prevention and Control program. “We’re doing a lot of work to improve our system, but there’s obviously still a lot of work that we have to do.”

Contaminated Drug Supply Puts Lives At Risk

In its report, the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health noted that fentanyl has permeated the supply of illicit street drugs, endangering the lives of casual drug users and those with substance misuse disorders alike. Illicitly manufactured fentanyl (IMF) “is cheap and easy to make quickly and in large quantities. It has been found in nearly all forms of illegal street drugs and counterfeit pills, as drug traffickers intentionally add fentanyl to their drugs to reduce costs, to enhance the effect of an existing drug, and/or to make their drugs more addictive,” the health department wrote in the report. 

“Fentanyl can also be a contaminant when handling multiple drugs with the same equipment or in unclean environments,” the report continues. “Thus, drugs containing IMF have variable and high potency, and can be more dangerous than often perceived, especially for youth who may experiment with drugs or pills.”

The county data showed a sharp disparity in the number of fentanyl overdose deaths. The largest number of fatal fentanyl overdoses were among white people and in more affluent areas of the county. But when adjusted for population, Black people and those living in high-poverty areas died of a fatal fentanyl overdose at significantly higher rates. 

“In the case of race/ethnicity, Black people account for 8% of the [county] population, and disproportionately accounted for 21% of fentanyl overdose deaths in 2022,” the report said.

Ricky Bluthenthal, a professor of population and public health sciences at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine, said that the racial disparities in fentanyl overdose deaths are concerning, noting they have gotten worse in recent years. But he added that the problem is a national one that illustrates the need to target resources such as the lifesaving drug naloxone, a nasal spray that can reverse an opioid overdose.

“It speaks to a national challenge that we have in the United States, related to making sure that both medication for opiate use disorder and naloxone is readily available for people who live in predominantly African American and Latino neighborhoods,” Bluthenthal said.

Through his research, Bluthenthal has determined that L.A.’s supply of heroin has mostly been replaced by fentanyl, which is about 50 times more potent. 

“We are facing this really dramatic change in the illicit drug supply; looking at the figure over time, it sort of makes you want to cry,” Bluthenthal said.

The more than 1,900 overdose deaths caused by fentanyl represent a jump of nearly 1,700% in the number of fatal overdoses caused by the drug in just six years.

“This transition is wreaking havoc on people,” he added.

Tsai said that the report included some positive data points. Overdose deaths among children fell for the first time in two years. Additionally, the rate of increase in the number of fentanyl deaths dropped significantly, possibly indicating that the number of deaths may be beginning to level off. But health officials warn the community must remain vigilant to the dangers of the illicit drug supply.

“On the fentanyl front, we might be slowing down, just looking at the numbers, but there’s still so many things that can happen between now and when we get the 2023 data,” said Tsai. “All it takes is another more potent substance to come into the drug supply for that number to then shoot up.”

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Los Angeles County voters in California approved Measure C on Tuesday, which will impose a tax structure on businesses in unincorporated areas of the county once they receive permits, Los Angeles Daily News reports.

At the time of writing, nearly 60% of the votes were in favor of Measure C as the final tallies came in.

Measure C imposes several initial tax rates: 4% on gross receipts for retail operations, 3% for manufacturing and distribution, $4 per square foot for mixed light cultivation, and $7 per square foot for indoor cultivation. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors may decrease or increase the tax rates within the maximum approved by the voters after July 1, 2026.

It’s important to note that Measure C itself does not legalize cannabis sales in the county, with additional steps before the industry can launch. The Board of Supervisors still needs to vote on that, and they’ve indicated they plan to do so in early 2023.

“All cannabis business activity will remain prohibited in the unincorporated areas of the County until the cannabis business permitting program is launched in 2023,” the bill summary reads. “This measure would make it legal for the County to tax the revenues of cannabis businesses operating in these areas. Once the permitting program launches, a cannabis business operator will need to obtain all the required permits and licenses from the appropriate state and local regulatory agencies including a cannabis business permit issued by the Los Angeles County Office of Cannabis Management.”

The Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) under Los Angeles County’s Department of Consumer and Business Affairs is developing an equitable commercial cannabis program that includes permitting and resources for eligible applicants with a proposed launch in late 2023.

“The approach we’ve adopted will equitably distribute legal cannabis businesses in each supervisorial district and specifies that cannabis cultivation will only be permitted indoors—not outdoors in greenhouses,” Supervisor Kathryn Barger said at a recent board meeting.

“Our board must be clear: we will not tolerate illegal cannabis operations. Growers who operate illegally undermine our efforts to create a regulated and responsible cannabis industry, and often do so at the expense of the rural communities I represent. I’m firmly committed to upholding the law and will corral all available resources to enhance enforcement and abatement efforts.”

County officials estimate a total of $10.4 million in tax revenue that would go to the Los Angeles County General Fund and a cannabis equity program that would provide equitable access for entering the cannabis industry.

For the time being though, cannabis businesses remain prohibited in unincorporated areas of the county until the permitting program launches.

Any existing or newly established cannabis businesses in the unincorporated areas must register with the Los Angeles County Treasurer and Tax Collector within 30 days of commencing operation once the permitting program has launched or within 30 days after the effective date of this ordinance.

Regulations are still being developed, but Los Angeles County staff said the initial plan will likely allow for up to 25 storefront retail cannabis businesses countywide, 25 delivery retail businesses, 10 indoor/mixed light cultivation establishments, 10 manufacturing businesses, 10 distribution facilities, and 10 testing laboratories.

A similar vote also took place nearby in San Diego County.

Voters also decided whether or not to approve Measure A in San Diego County’s unincorporated areas will pay a tax that would generate revenue going toward government services such as health care, fire safety, and parks.

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Los Angeles County has long been home to illegal cannabis endeavors, and now the Board of Supervisors has approved the introduction of an ordinance that could charge illegal cannabis operations tens of thousands of dollars per day.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on Tuesday to introduce an ordinance to start fining illegal cannabis businesses. Any cultivation or dispensaries operating without a permit in unincorporated areas of the county could soon be charged $30,000 every day. Although the introduction was approved, the ordinance still needs to be voted on by the Board for formal adoption.

The official motion text describes the “nuisance abatement ordinance” that could be approved in a future meeting. “The unpermitted commercial cannabis activities including illegal cannabis cultivation are incredibly profitable and in particular, cannabis cultivation has continued to proliferate due to the ease of establishment in more remote and rural locations,” the motion reads. “Therefore, the penalties contained within the draft ordinance should, consistent with State law, be adjusted and increased to ensure that they act as a deterrent to the continued operation of illegal commercial cannabis operations.”

The motion was written by Supervisors Kathryn Barger and Sheila Kuehl. “The County Code currently prohibits all commercial cannabis activity within the County’s unincorporated areas, including the establishment, maintenance, and operation of any commercial cannabis business activity, and the renting or leasing of, or allowing property to be used for that purpose in all zones,” the motion states. “However, the County continues to be inundated with unpermitted cannabis dispensaries in the unincorporated areas. Despite the efforts of numerous County departments, the growth of unpermitted cannabis dispensaries continues to outpace enforcement.”

Barger presented the motion with the hope that it could help cull illegal cannabis operations, noting that water supplies that contain chemicals pose both a threat to public safety, among other concerns. She states that even though the county’s work against illegal cannabis is steadfast, a lack of “legally enforceable options” puts the efforts at a disadvantage.

In a press release, Barger summarized how these illegal cannabis businesses are harming the county. “Unpermitted commercial cannabis cultivation is profitable and has thrived in the rural Antelope Valley because of how easy it is to stand up operations. Communities in the desert continue to report illegal large scale cannabis grows that have been accompanied by water theft, trespassing, trash and the use of dangerous pesticides and fertilizers, putting residents’ health and safety at risk.”

Supervisor Sheila Kuehl also agreed that something needs to be done. “California voters legalized recreational cannabis in order to create a system that assured consumers of product safety while prohibiting cannabis access to minors,” said Kuehl, “but illegal cannabis operations continue to  undermine the will of the people. This motion puts teeth in enforcement and ensures that unpermitted dispensaries face stiff penalties in the future.”

Supervisor Janice Hahn confirmed that strengthening and protecting the region’s legal cannabis businesses is also a way to tackle the illegal businesses head-on.

“I do know that providing a legal pathway for people to grow, produce, sell cannabis can help in some way to tackle the illegal market,” Hahn shared. “Hopefully, we’re going to be voting soon on the idea of legally providing options for cannabis businesses in unincorporated county [areas].” A news release on Barger’s website confirms that a study is being conducted to determine recommendations for legal cannabis businesses, such as retail, manufacturing, distribution and more.

In October 2021, Los Angeles County set aside $5 million to fund the effort to combat illegal cannabis in Antelope Valley. A press release states that $2.4 million will go to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and $1.2 million toward the department’s Marijuana Eradication Team, while $503,000 will go toward Lancaster Sheriff Station overtime patrols and $707,000 will be used to buy trucks that can traverse tough terrain in these investigations.

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