County public health officer reports opioid overdoses down, warns about kratom and tianeptine

Tuolumne County’s public health officer reported Tuesday that overdose deaths in the county decreased from 25 in 2024 to 12 in 2025, a drop the officer attributed to reduced opioid prescribing, school‑based outreach and coordinated community efforts. The county remained a comparatively high prescriber in statewide data, but prescriptions per capita have fallen markedly since 2010.

The officer said most overdose deaths involved multiple substances: of the opioid deaths reported, many included fentanyl and methamphetamine. Naloxone (Narcan) availability increased, but prehospital naloxone administrations have not risen, suggesting fewer overdose events rather than more rescues.

The presentation also highlighted an emerging public health concern: the unregulated sale and use of kratom and tianeptine. The officer summarized known harms — addiction potential, respiratory depression, liver injury, and reported hospitalizations in other jurisdictions — and noted the federal and state legal landscape is unsettled. Several California cities and counties have already enacted local prohibitions; state legislation on tianeptine was pending in Sacramento at the time of the presentation.

The public health officer asked the board to consider bringing back a local ordinance that would prohibit manufacture, sale and possession of kratom and tianeptine in the county; supervisors agreed staff could pursue a draft ordinance for future consideration while some members urged exploring regulatory options that reduce youth access without necessarily a full prohibition.