SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Local officials say a record number of San Diegans died of meth last year.
According to the county's 2020 Meth Report Card, 546 San Diegans died from meth in 2019, 63 more than the previous record of 483 set in 2018.
The County Medical Examiner's Office says people most impacted by meth are those 45 years of age or older, which represented 319 of the meth-related deaths. The ME says people in this age range tend to have chronic cardiovascular disease, which may have been from long-term meth use.
"There’s no sugarcoating it: Meth is destroying lives and families at a record pace here in San Diego County," said County Supervisor Dianne Jacob. "Local law enforcement and treatment services are on the front lines battling this scourge, but clearly we need to do even more as a region."
While San Diego was once considered the "Meth Capital of the World," little is made locally today and most of it is being transported into the county from Mexico, according to the report. The DEA says that meth seizures at U.S.-Mexico ports of entry nearly doubled in 2019 compared to 2018.
People who want to anonymously report meth or drug activity are asked to call the Meth Hotline at 877-NO-2-METH or visit www.no2meth.org. Substance use treatment resources are also available from the county’s access and crisis line at 888-724-7240 or 2-1-1.
