San Francisco's Fentanyl Crisis: Overdose Deaths Soar Despite Crackdown and Federal Aid.

San Francisco is on track to have its worst year ever for drug overdose deaths, with 346 deaths recorded in the first five months of 2021, a 40% increase from the same period last year. Most of the deaths involved fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that has flooded the illicit drug market in the city and around the country. Experts say there is not enough evidence to pin the rise in fatal overdoses on any single event, but some believe the recent closure of an overdose prevention site and the step-up in drug arrests are exacerbating the problem.