MOSES LAKE — With seven months of the year done, the number of overdose deaths in Grant County is running ahead of the same period in 2024. KC Sherwood, death investigator for the Grant County Coroner’s Office, said as of the end of July, Grant County has had 27 overdose deaths.  

“Last year, I think our total was 34. And we’re at 27 (cases) already,” Sherwood said. "There are more deaths due to overdoses than there were in the past.” 

Overdose deaths have been on the increase for a few years, according to statistics from the Grant County Health District. There were 63 deaths between 2021 and 2023, compared to 19 deaths between 2016 and 2018, said Mariah Deleon, GCHD harm reduction coordinator, in an earlier interview. 

Of those 27 people, 17 of them had fentanyl in their systems when they died, Sherwood said, either fentanyl alone or mixed with other drugs. 

“It was listed as a part of their cause of death,” he said.  

Overdose deaths are happening countywide. 

“This is from Grand Coulee to Mattawa,” Sherwood said.  

While fentanyl is contributing to the increase in deaths, it’s not the only factor – a lot of people are still using methamphetamine, and some are dying from overdoses of it.  

“(Methamphetamine) is neck and neck with fentanyl,” he said. 

Whether or not fentanyl is the drug most people are taking, it’s one that’s killing a lot of people, Deleon said. 

“Fentanyl and fentanyl analogs are a lot cheaper to produce for people who are producing those,” she said. “It’s cheaper for people to get – a pill is a lot less expensive than other types of substances.” 

There are trends in drug use, Sherwood said, and while fentanyl and methamphetamine are the current drugs of choice, others are still out there. Cocaine use appears to be increasing. 

“We’re starting to see it pop up in different random tests,” he said.  

Heroin is still in use, although it’s less of a factor in overdose deaths. 

“I haven’t seen a heroin overdose in years,” he said. “But it’s still out there.” 

Kyle Foreman, public information officer for the Grant County Sheriff’s Office, said in an earlier interview that heroin is still circulating, but that from the perspective of someone using drugs, fentanyl is a more attractive option. 

“It’s easier to get fentanyl, and when the high of the fentanyl is greater than the high of the heroin, the user chooses the better high,” Foreman said.  

Sherwood said the drugs themselves are different, and that too affects the trend of overdose deaths.  

“These drugs are more potent and stronger, and they’re killing more people,” Sherwood said. 

Nance Beston contributed to this report.