Oklahoma has one of the highest drug overdose death rates in the country. Many deaths can be attributed to opioids, but methamphetamine continues to plague the state. Meth overdoses are soaring, despite a big decline in lab busts.
Listen To The Story From Oklahoma Watch Reporter Brad Gibson
Meth was a factor in 265 deaths in 2015, or nearly a third of all fatal overdoses. The total represented a 157 percent increase since 2010, when 103 deaths were attributed solely or partly to meth.
The number of fatalities keeps climbing despite a dramatic decline in the number of Oklahoma meth lab busts and tighter controls over the sale of decongestants used in manufacturing meth. Law enforcement officials blame the surge in deaths on imports of Mexican “ice."
Oklahoma Watch is a nonprofit organization that produces in-depth and investigative journalism on important public-policy issues facing the state. More Oklahoma Watch content can be found online.
