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Almost 6k dead in 6 years: How Baltimore became the U.S. overdose capital

The city was once hailed for its response to addiction. But as fentanyl flooded the streets and officials shifted priorities, deaths hit unprecedented heights.

In a written statement last week, the mayor’s office said that the current fentanyl crisis had been triggered by the influx of pills from drug makers and distributors, and that The Times and The Banner’s reporting on the city’s response amounted to “misguided victim blaming.” As overdose deaths continued to accelerate, the next mayor, Catherine Pugh, drew criticism when she objected to the proliferation of treatment centers within neighborhoods, saying that people needing help for addiction would have a better chance if they were removed from Baltimore’s drug-afflicted communities and “put on a plane to Timbuktu or somewhere.” Dr. Letitia Dzirasa, a deputy mayor who had been health commissioner from 2019 to 2023, said in an interview that she knew the rate in Baltimore was the highest in Maryland, and higher than in other large cities in the region, but did not know its ranking nationally among all counties.

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