Than Fentanyl
Florida’s drug deaths fell sharply in the first half of 2025, and fentanyl fell the furthest. The same state report breaks results out by region, and the district that includes Panama City looks different from the statewide picture. If you’re searching for addiction treatment in Panama City, the local numbers matter more than the statewide headline.
Fentanyl Fell the Furthest
Florida’s medical examiners released their interim report in May. It covers January through June 2025 and compares those months with the same stretch of 2024. Total drug-related deaths fell 19 percent, which is 1,340 fewer. A drug counts as a cause only when the medical examiner decides it played a causal role, so the figures below leave out deaths where a drug was merely present. Deaths caused by fentanyl dropped 46 percent, from 2,059 to 1,110. Cocaine deaths dropped 24 percent, from 1,111 to 843. Methamphetamine deaths dropped 31.5 percent, from 872 to 597.
Since fentanyl fell the most, the stimulants moved closer to it. In early 2024, cocaine caused about 54 deaths for every 100 caused by fentanyl. A year later the figure was about 76. For meth it went from about 42 to about 54. Fentanyl still leads statewide, but the gap is narrower. One death can list more than one drug as a cause, so these counts overlap and can’t be added together.
Officials and Researchers Give Different Reasons
State officials credit enforcement. The release from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement points to drug interdiction, a state fentanyl eradication program, and wider naloxone access for first responders. Others point to a shift in what’s being sold. NBC Miami reported that xylazine and medetomidine have been replacing high doses of fentanyl in the state, and a University of Texas researcher quoted in the story said those sedatives don’t slow breathing the way fentanyl does. The state report shows xylazine deaths down 53 percent and doesn’t count medetomidine at all. Nobody has shown that one explanation covers the whole drop.
Meth Leads in Panama City’s District
The state divides medical examiner data into districts. District 14, based in Panama City, covers Bay, Calhoun, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, and Washington counties. In the first half of 2025, meth was listed as the cause of 14 deaths there. Fentanyl and cocaine were each listed as the cause of 5. Statewide the order runs the other way, with fentanyl at 1,110, cocaine at 843, and meth at 597.
Of those 14 meth deaths, 8 were people between 35 and 50, 4 were over 50, and 2 were between 26 and 34. These are small numbers over six months across six Panhandle counties, and interim figures can change as pending cases come in. The report doesn’t break alcohol out by district, so it can’t say meth is the leading cause of all deaths here. Among the drugs it does break out locally, meth was named as a cause most often.
Stimulant Deaths Skew Older
Age adds another layer. Of the 843 cocaine deaths statewide, 379 were people over 50, about 45 percent. For meth it was 226 of 597, about 38 percent. For fentanyl it was 327 of 1,110, about 29 percent, and most fentanyl deaths fell between ages 35 and 50. If you’re watching an older parent or relative, know that stimulant deaths in Florida reach well into the over-50 group.
Naloxone Still Belongs in the House
Naloxone reverses opioid overdoses and does nothing for a meth or cocaine overdose. Even so, the report shows most stimulant deaths involved something else. Of 861 deaths with meth in the body, 35 involved meth alone. For cocaine, 204 of 1,259 involved cocaine alone. The report doesn’t say which other drugs were present, but with illicit fentanyl in the supply, people who use stimulants have good reason to keep naloxone nearby. Call 911 and stay with the person either way.
Treatment for Stimulants Takes Time and Support
No medication is approved by the FDA for meth or cocaine addiction, so treatment relies on counseling, structure, and enough time to build new routines. Florida Springs Wellness and Recovery Center is in Panama City, and our residential program for drug and alcohol rehab gives people in Bay County and across the Panhandle full-time support while they do that work. The state’s full-year 2025 report isn’t posted yet. Last year’s came out in October, so these numbers may shift soon.
