La Crosse County more than halfway to matching 2020 overdose death total

Seven months into 2021, La Crosse County is more than halfway to the number of drug overdose deaths reported last year. 

Al Bliss from the Alliance to Heal says the overdose total so far this year may be up to 23, compared to 20 a week ago. 

There were 40 total deaths from drug overdoses in the county during 2020. 

Fentanyl has been a factor in many of the recent deaths, and Bliss says it’s not certain whether some people are consuming fentanyl accidentally, or deliberately.

“I don’t know what the demand is, if they’re saying ‘I just want heroin and the good stuff, or I want mostly fentanyl,'” says Bliss.