SC drug overdose deaths rising at alarming rate, new report says. Here are the counties hit hardest

Patrick McCreless
Drug Enforcement Administration

South Carolina saw a more than 25% spike in drug overdose deaths in 2021, year over year, according to state health report released on Friday.

The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control called the latest figures an “alarming trend” that’s in keeping with an ongoing national drug overdose epidemic, fueled mainly by the opioid fentanyl.

“Mental health and substance use disorders are at the forefront of public health concerns around the nation, and we at DHEC – along with our many essential partners – are committed to stopping this disturbing trend in drug overdose deaths by connecting people with the help they need and deserve,” Dr. Brannon Traxler, DHEC public health director, said in a Friday press release. “We all have a role to play in ending the stigma surrounding substance use disorders and being a conduit for those who need help but can’t or won’t take those first steps to reach out.”

According to the report, South Carolina had 2,168 drug overdose deaths in 2021, an increase of 430 people from the year prior. In contrast, the state reported just 573 total drug overdose deaths in 2012.

Five SC counties with most overdose deaths in 2021

  1. Horry: 272 deaths

  2. Greenville: 270 deaths

  3. Charleston: 201 deaths

  4. Spartanburg: 153

  5. Richland: 137



The U.S. fentanyl problem

Fentanyl has largely been the driver behind the rise in drug overdose deaths across the nation in recent years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is between 50 and 100 times stronger than morphine.

Drug overdose deaths involving fentanyl rose by more than 35% in South Carolina between 2020 and 2021, the DHEC report shows. And of the total 2,168 overdose deaths in the state in 2021, 1,494 were due to fentanyl.

Five SC counties with the most deaths by fentanyl in 2021

  1. Greenville: 194

  2. Horry: 188

  3. Charleston: 139

  4. Spartanburg: 105

  5. York: 89

“Other drugs are being laced with fentanyl without the user’s knowledge, which can cause a fatal overdose even in a small quantity,” Sara Goldsby, director of the South Carolina Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services, said in the press release. “If there is a possibility of coming into contact with an unsafe drug, it’s important to have naloxone on hand in case of an overdose.”

Full list of SC drug overdose deaths for 2021

  • Abbeville: 7

  • Aiken: 85

  • Allendale: 3

  • Anderson: 70

  • Bamberg: 1

  • Barnwell: 10

  • Beaufort: 49

  • Berkeley: 70

  • Calhoun: 3

  • Charleston: 201

  • Cherokee: 10

  • Chester: 13

  • Chesterfield: 17

  • Clarendon: 11

  • Colleton: 11

  • Darlington: 14

  • Dillon: 16

  • Dorchester: 36

  • Edgefield: 5

  • Fairfield: 3

  • Florence: 66

  • Georgetown: 38

  • Greenville: 270

  • Greenwood: 40

  • Hampton: 3

  • Horry: 272

  • Jasper: 13

  • Kershaw: 28

  • Lancaster: 51

  • Laurens: 31

  • Lee: 4

  • Lexington: 106

  • McCormick: N/A

  • Marion: 6

  • Marlboro: 4

  • Newberry: 11

  • Oconee: 30

  • Orangeburg: 37

  • Pickens: 55

  • Richland: 137

  • Saluda: 1

  • Spartanburg: 153

  • Sumter: 29

  • Union: 15

  • Williamsburg: 18

  • York: 115

SC resources for those with substance abuse issues

  • The Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services has information about treatment options and other resources and can be reached by calling 803-896-5555 or by sending a message online at daodas.sc.gov/contact.

  • The SC Mobile Crisis response program can assist anyone having a mental health crisis 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Call 833-364-2274 or email mobilecrisis@scdmh.org.

  • The Substance abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Helpline is a free, 24/7 treatment referral and information service for individuals and families and can be reached at 1-800-662-HELP.

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