Santa Barbara County officials say drug overdose deaths have declined significantly since reaching a high point just a few years ago.
During a presentation this week to the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office reported overdose deaths fell from 158 in 2023 to 96 in 2024—about a 40% drop.
Sheriff Bill Brown said the decline outpaced the national trend.
“The national decline during this same period was 25%,” Brown told supervisors. “So I think we can all be proud of that.”
According to the report, the numbers continued trending downward in 2025, when the county recorded 93 overdose deaths. Officials say that represents a 41% decline since 2023.
Fentanyl remains the primary driver of overdose deaths locally. But fatalities linked to the powerful synthetic opioid have also dropped significantly in recent years—from 111 in 2023 to 59 in 2024 and 46 in 2025.
County officials say they are also seeing improvements among some of the populations most affected by overdose deaths.
Brown said drug-related deaths among unhoused residents declined from 51 in 2023 to 30 in 2024 and 20 in 2025.
“This is a dramatic decline,” Brown said during the presentation, noting the numbers fell 41% from 2023 to 2024 and another 50% the following year.
The sheriff attributed the overall decline to a combination of prevention campaigns, expanded drug treatment programs, broader distribution of the overdose-reversal medication naloxone—commonly known by the brand name Narcan—and increased narcotics enforcement.
Supervisors unanimously voted to receive and file the report.
