Los Angeles Declared a Historic Win Against Fentanyl. Eight People Are Still Dying Every Day. Here Is What the Data Is Really Saying.

LA County’s 22% drop in overdose deaths in 2024 — the biggest single-year decline in its history — is being called a victory. But with nearly 2,500 people still dead in a single year, fentanyl still in 52% of all accidental overdose deaths, and a 1,652% long-term surge since 2016, Los Angeles has not solved this crisis. It has merely slowed it.