Fentanyl-related deaths in Boulder County dropped from 38 in 2023 to 27 in 2024, a 30% decrease, according to data from the Boulder County Coroner’s Office released Thursday.

People in the 30- to 39-year-old age group were most affected by fentanyl deaths in Boulder County, with 12 cases, according to the Boulder County Coroner’s Office data. People in the 60- to 69-year-old age group were the second most affected, with six cases.

The Boulder County Coroner’s Office has enhanced its ability to track critical data, Jeff Martin, the Boulder County said in a press release about the data. The coroner’s office is committed to developing a monitoring strategy to track the death rates among different demographics and to identify other emerging drugs that contribute to drug-related deaths, Martin said.

Community agencies involved in the Boulder County Fentanyl Prevention Group since 2022 have collaborated to address fentanyl-related deaths, the release said. Their efforts include increasing the availability of naloxone — a drug that reverses opioid overdoses, raising awareness of fentanyl’s risks and strengthening law enforcement collaboration, the release said.

Boulder County’s decline in fentanyl deaths follows a national trend, according to the release. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that provisional drug overdose deaths have dropped more than 24% from a peak in June 2023. Synthetic opioids, primarily fentanyl, account for nearly seven in 10 overdose deaths, according to data from the CDC, the release said.

Boulder County officials took a countywide approach to naloxone distribution, which was funded by various Colorado harm reduction programs. County naloxone distribution includes naloxone kiosks across the county in partnership with Boulder Community Hospital and Clinica Family Health and Wellness, formerly Mental Health Partners, the release said.

The Boulder County Fentanyl Prevention Group includes the Boulder County Coroner’s Office, the University of Colorado Boulder, the Boulder County Drug Task Force, the Boulder Police Department, the District Attorney’s Office, the Boulder Valley School District, the St. Vrain Valley School District, Boulder Community Hospital, the Colorado Consortium for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention, Boulder County Community Services and the Office of Congressman Joe Neguse, according to the release.