Meth deaths have been increasing, and is among the most common drug involved in drug overdose deaths in LAC
Although national attention on the drug overdose epidemic has been focused on opioids, methamphetamines are increasingly associated with a significant proportion of the drug overdose deaths.
From 2003-2023, drug overdose death rates in the US involving psychostimulants such as methamphetamine increased from 0.3 to 10.6 per 100,000 (Garnett, 2024).
More methamphetamine overdose deaths were reported from LAC Medical Examiner’s data than from death certificates.
According to LAC Medical Examiner’s data, there were 1,509 methamphetamine overdose-related deaths in 2024, a 20% decrease from the previous year, and the lowest reported number of methamphetamine overdose deaths since 2020 (Figure 1). In 2024, the methamphetamine overdose age-adjusted death rate per 100,000 population was 14.3, compared to 12.1 for fentanyl overdose and 13.3 for opioid overdose deaths (Figure 2).
Methamphetamine was involved in 62% of all accidental overdose deaths in LAC in 2024.
According to death certificate data, in 2023, fentanyl (66%) and methamphetamine (56%) were the most common drugs involved in drug overdose deaths in LAC (Figure 3).
Demographic differences were observed for meth overdose deaths based on LAC Medical Examiner’s data.
From 2015-2024, methamphetamine overdose deaths occurred most frequently among those aged 40-64 years (58%), followed by those aged 26-39 years (30%)(Figures 4-5).
In 2024, methamphetamine overdose death rates per 100,000 population were highest among those aged 40-64 years (rate=28.4), followed by those age 26-39 years (rate=20.6), 65+ years (rate=7.2), and 18-25 years (rate=4.7) (Figure 6).
In 2015-2024, males accounted for 79% of all methamphetamine overdose deaths in LAC (Figures 7-8).
The gender disparity widened over the past decade, with the rate of methamphetamine overdose death per 100,000 population among males increasing from over triple (3.7 times) that of females in 2015 to quadruple (4.0 times) that of females in 2024 (Figure 9).
From 2015-2024, Whites accounted for 41% of LAC overdose deaths involving methamphetamine, while Hispanic/Latinos comprised 36%, Blacks 18%, and Asian 3% (Figure 10). From 2015-2022, there were consistently more methamphetamine overdose deaths among Whites compared to Hispanic/Latinos and Blacks. In 2023, the number of methamphetamine overdose deaths among Hispanic/Latinos surpassed that of Whites, and remained higher than Whites in 2024 (Figure 11).
In 2024, the rate of methamphetamine overdose death per 100,000 population was highest among Blacks (rate=38.8), followed by Whites (rate=21.6), Hispanic/Latinos (rate=13.0), and Asians (rate=2.7). The population rates decreased for all race/ethnic groups in 2024 (Figure 12).
In LAC, methamphetamine overdose deaths co-involving opioids increased gradually from 2015-2019, then jumped in 2020 and continued to rise through 2023 (Figure 13). In 2024, co-involved methamphetamine and opioid overdose deaths accounted for 52% of all methamphetamine overdose deaths (up from 28% in 2016), and accounted for 56% of all opioid overdose deaths in 2024 (up from 20% in 2016) (Figure 14).
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Health Statistics. National Vital Statistics System, Mortality Wide‐ranging online data for epidemiologic research (WONDER). Atlanta, GA: CDC, National Center for Health Statistics; 2024. Available from: http://wonder.cdc.gov
Garnett MF, Miniño AM. Drug overdose deaths in the United States, 2003–2023. NCHS Data Brief, no 522. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2024. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.15620/cdc/170565.
Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner. Medical Examiner investigation reports. Data as of May 2025.