Overdose Deaths in East Texas Fluctuate as US Overdose Deaths Reach Record High

February 21, 2026

TYLER, TX (EAST TEXAS NEWS) – More than 107,000 Americans died from drug overdoses last year, marking another tragic milestone in the nation’s growing overdose crisis, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated on Wednesday.

The provisional 2021 total translates to roughly one overdose death in the United States every five minutes. It represented a 15% increase from the previous record set the year before. The CDC reviews death certificates and then makes an estimate to account for late and incomplete reports.

“Not surprised,” said Kim Bartel, the data coordinator for the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Council in Deep East Texas. “We’re seeing even in small communities that typically don’t have overdose cases in a year, some of those places are now reporting five or six per month. And it’s not steady; it can rise and fall in waves.”

According to the CDC, about two-thirds of last year’s overdose deaths involved fentanyl or other opioids. “We’re seeing that fentanyl is being mixed with many pills labeled as opioids, so those who take them may be harmed, or may not even know it’s there, and we’re seeing many overdoses tied to this fentanyl,” Bartel said.

The director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse said overdose rates have been climbing for decades. The pandemic accelerated those rates.

“Lockdowns and isolation were particularly hard to experience for teenagers. That isolation, the social distancing, has imposed a great deal of emotional stress,” Bartel added.

Tyler Police Department public information officer Andy Erbaugh said the rise in rates is not the case in Tyler. In 2019, Tyler recorded four confirmed overdose deaths. In 2020, zero. In 2021, four, and in 2022, three.

Erbaugh said a common factor that can lead to an overdose is not knowing what a drug contains.

“Someone you know might not be that deep into drugs, and they can hurt themselves or be harmed very quickly,” Erbaugh said. “That’s been the refrain since I’ve been in school—stay away from drugs and don’t use them.”

Madelyn Carter

My name is Madelyn Carter, and I’m a Texas-born journalist with a passion for telling stories that connect communities. I’ve spent the past decade covering everything from small-town events to major statewide issues, always striving to give a voice to those who might otherwise go unheard. For me, reporting isn’t just about delivering the news — it’s about building trust and shining a light on what matters most to Texans.