Drug overdoses killed more Ohioans in 2020 than in at least the previous 14 years, a grim milestone likely made possible by the pandemic.
At least 5,001 Ohioans died of overdoses last year, according to a Dispatch analysis of mortality data from the Ohio Department of Health as of Tuesday. The closest overdose deaths have come to jumping 5,000 was in 2017 when 4,854 were recorded.
About 797 people who lost their lives to a drug overdose in 2020 were Franklin County residents, state data shows. The total number of overdose deaths in 2020 is likely to increase since county coroners have six months to investigate, meaning 2020 overdose deaths could climb further.