Meth remains Oahu’s top overdose killer

Methamphetamine remains the deadliest drug on Oahu, bucking a national trend of rising deaths linked to fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, according to a new state dashboard that tracks metrics related to substance abuse and mental disorders.

Overall, there were 131 overdose deaths during the 2020-21 biennium, of which 107 were at least partially attributable to methamphetamine. Opiates contributed to another 37 deaths. Many of the overdose deaths involved more than one drug.

The data also lists cannabis as a factor in 28 overdose deaths during this period. The University of Hawaii, which was one of the partners who helped create the dashboard, did not respond to questions asking about the role cannabis played in the deaths.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which collects federal data, says that while a fatal overdose caused solely by cannabis is unlikely, smoking or ingesting too much leads to a rapid heart rate, elevated blood pressure, and hallucinations can.

While the dashboard says it tracks statewide data, the published numbers for overdose deaths relate only to Oahu, and the website warns they’re likely underestimated as some deaths are still being processed.

The online portal was created with the help of a $4.4 million grant from the CDC, according to a press release from UH, the state Department of Health and Human Services and 14 other partner organizations. Data on overdose deaths come from death certificates, coroner reports, and post-mortem toxicology reports.

The dashboard also includes numbers on substance abuse-related emergency room visits. Alcohol was by far the largest factor, and is listed as a cause in 33,854 substance abuse-related ER visits in 2018-21. Stimulants, including methamphetamine, are listed as the cause of 6,287 visits and cannabis for 3,684 visits. Many of the visits involved multiple drugs.

The data also tracks what proportion of patients suffered from substance abuse and mental disorders.

In addition, the portal monitors the number of calls to Hawaii CARES Crisis Relief, which helps people who need help with substance abuse or mental health issues. Between April and September, the center received 53,000 calls.

“This behavioral health dashboard is meaningful to Hawaii because it encourages the use of public health surveillance data to improve interventions for substance use and mental disorders,” said Treena Becker, the lead researcher and researcher at the Center on Aging at UH Manoas Thompson School of Social Work and Public Health, in a press release. “Additionally, this dashboard provides information for the health community and non-profit groups supporting those suffering from and/or recovering from these conditions, along with their ‘ohana’.”