More than three-quarters of drug deaths in Virginia in 2021 are due to overdoses of the synthetic opioid fentanyl, according to the latest data from the state medical examiner's office. That figure has skyrocketed since 2012, when only 6% of overdose deaths were attributed to fentanyl. In Richmond, the locality with the most overdose deaths, fentanyl is responsible for nearly 90% of all fatal overdoses. Source: Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Virginia Department of Health Chart by Sean McGoey, Richmond Times-Dispatch
Note: 2021 figure is based on data through Q3 2021.