{"id":1164,"date":"2026-06-08T09:36:09","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T09:36:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=1164"},"modified":"2026-06-08T09:36:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T09:36:09","slug":"overdose-deaths-in-lexington-county-are-dropping-sheriff-says-what-we-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=1164","title":{"rendered":"Overdose deaths in Lexington County are dropping, sheriff says. What we know"},"content":{"rendered":"<article><!-- --><!-- --><!-- WPS-5038 -- removed the script from WPS and added the placeholder for trinity player --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- CONTENT --><!--[--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>After years of a growing opioid crisis across the nation, Lexington County is seeing fewer and fewer overdose deaths.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=1162\">New liquor store near USC OKed as Columbia board debates how many is too many<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Overdose deaths in Lexington County peaked in 2022. At least 125 people died from an overdose that year, according to data from the Lexington County Sheriff\u2019s Department. Then the number began to decline. By 2025, 75 overdose deaths were reported, a 40% decrease.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not accidental, the sheriff\u2019s department said, but a collaboration between law enforcement, along with emergency medical services and community intervention organizations, have worked together to prevent overdose deaths in the area.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe overdose problem, over the last few years, has really gained a lot of attention,\u201d Sheriff Jay Koon told The State. \u201cJust tearing apart good families that are really affected by this stuff. So we all started working together, and our work is paying dividends.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>There is still a \u201cways to go,\u201d Koon said, but the data shows that Lexington County is \u201cturning the corner\u201d on one of the biggest public safety challenges it faces.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Drug overdoses rose dramatically for more than two decades between 1999 and 2023, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, many of which involve opioids. The opioid epidemic was declared a public health emergency in 2017, and since then, opioid overdose has claimed more than half a million lives. South Carolina was among 16 states with the most opioid overdose deaths per capita in 2024, with about 20.1 deaths per 100,000 people, according to an analysis of CDC data by the health news outlet KFF.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Change is happening. Overdose deaths are starting to fall across the country and in the state, with a 3% decline nationwide between 2022 and 2023, and another 14% decline between 2024 and 2025. And South Carolina is among the top 10 states with the most significant reduction in opioid deaths.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Addiction, drug use and overdoses are complicated issues, Koon said. Homelessness, mental health and drug addiction go \u201chand in hand,\u201d and it\u2019s not many times that you can find one of those with other components. That\u2019s why it takes many different resources to make a difference.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=1159\">Tumbling tech puts brakes on AI rally, Middle East escalation lifts oil<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can\u2019t police your way out of it,\u201d Koon said. \u201cEverybody has to work together.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The sheriff\u2019s department works to disrupt drug supply and hold traffickers accountable, while medical services provide life-saving interventions. Deputies carry Narcan, or naxolone, a medication that can save some in the midst of an overdose.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>He praised the work of partners like the Courage Center, Uplift Lexington, the Lexington\/Richland Alcohol and Drug Abuse Council and other organization to help people find treatment, recovery resources and support.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Public education and awareness is also key.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat starts with trying to educate our children coming up, but also dealing with people with addiction, getting them the help they need, and recognizing that this is nothing that we hide in the darkness,\u201d Koon said. \u201cWe need to talk about it, and honor the ones that know we lost through overdoses, but also keep the fire going and the hope alive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, the fight isn\u2019t over, Koon said. Lexington County must still work towards preventing overdose deaths.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen we have an overdose, everybody comes to the table (to) see really how we can drill down and maybe prevent the next family from going through it,\u201d Koon said. \u201cYou lose the member of the community, everybody suffers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=1157\">India inflation likely rose to 4% in May as food, fuel costs climb<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--]--><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lexington County, South Carolina overdose deaths fell by 40% in three years, the sheriff said, thanks to EMS, treatment partners and expanded Narcan access.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1163,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1164","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Overdose deaths in Lexington County are dropping, sheriff says. 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