(La Porte County, IN) - There was an over 20 percent increase in drug overdose deaths in La Porte County last year. According to La Porte County Coroner Lynn Swanson, fifty-three people died from drug overdoses last year compared to 42 in 2020. 

 

Without the heroin antidote Narcan, which was only developed in recent years, Swanson said there would be at least twice as many people dying from drug overdoses.

 

“The numbers are staggering,” she said.

According to past statistics, the number of yearly overdose deaths in La Porte County was often in the teens before the development of Narcan.

 

Swanson said well over half of the fatal overdoses were in Michigan City last year. In addition, there were nine overdose deaths in the City of La Porte and 16 in the unincorporated areas of La Porte County.

 

She said nearly all of the overdoses countywide involved the use of fentanyl, which is considered even more deadly than heroin. Narcan is also an antidote for fentanyl.