LA CROSSE, Wis. (WXOW) - In 2020, 37 lives were lost in drug-related deaths.
Three cases are still pending as the La Crosse Co. Medical Examiner's Office awaits toxicology reports. It’s a new record for the county and an issue overshadowed by the pandemic.
The medical examiner's office reported 22 deaths in 2019. After several years of decline, the 68% increase has health officials alarmed.
Part of the increase has been attributed to the effects of the pandemic.
“One of our fears when this first started was what effect does this isolation and quarantine going to have on mental health, whether that’s addiction, bi-polar, schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, how is this going to affect them and we’ve seen where it has,” said Tricia Davis of the La Crosse Co. Medical Examiner's Office.