Drug dashboard to help BCA fight opioid epidemic
Sept. 25, 2023
Synthetic opioids such as fentanyl contributed to the deaths of 958 people in our state last year. While the opioid epidemic is not new, here in the state of Minnesota, we are finding new ways to address the complex law enforcement and public health challenges caused by illicit drug use.
Our Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) launched a new dashboard this week to help inform efforts to prevent and respond to drug overdoses, drug-related deaths and drug-related crimes in Minnesota.
The Minnesota Drug Crimes and Overdose Dashboard is a tool for trend analysis that aims to help people across our state prevent tragedies.
“We hope that making information about drug arrests, overdoses and deaths available in a single location will help law enforcement, medical service providers and others as they work to understand illicit drug use and its impact on our communities," BCA Superintendent Drew Evans said.
While the dashboard is designed to be used by public safety and health professionals, it is available to everyone. With a few clicks on the interactive graphics, you can narrow down drug overdoses by month, examine crime rates by county or discover what percentage of drug-related deaths were caused by opioids compared to methamphetamine.
Watch our video on YouTube to learn how to use the dashboard.
It contains summary data on illicit drug use that we will update as we receive more updated information. For example, using this tool, we learned that overdoses in the first half of 2023 where Naloxone was administered well outpaced the prior three years, including a 9.8-percent jump over 2022.
The BCA developed the Minnesota Drug Crimes and Overdose Dashboard in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Health and the Emergency Medical Services Regulatory Board, both of which contribute data.
“EMS data is not just numbers; it embodies the stories of real people, families and communities affected by the opioid epidemic," said Dylan Ferguson, executive director of the EMS Regulatory Board. “It provides us with a unique lens into the challenges faced on the front lines and can help craft tailored strategies that make a difference."
The project is “a good example of the coordinated approach we're taking in Minnesota," according to Dr. Brooke Cunningham, Minnesota commissioner of health.
“We're more effective when we pull together all the public health, emergency response, and treatment data to address this epidemic of overdoses and one of our most urgent law enforcement and public health challenges," Cunningham said.
Do you or a loved one struggle with illicit drug use? Learn about treatment options and get additional information from the
Minnesota Department of Human Services.
