The San Francisco Chronicle reported Thursday that 806 people will die from drug overdoses in San Francisco in 2023, a record high, as fentanyl continues to plague the state.

Fentanyl, an opioid up to 50 times more powerful than heroin, was responsible for 80% of overdoses in 2023. according to Data cited by the Chronicle from the coroner's office. The city's deadliest month was August, with deaths in the first 11 months exceeding 2020's previous record of 726 deaths. (Related: Claudine Gay had a history of being part of Harvard's diversity bureaucracy before becoming president)

“San Francisco cannot solve this problem of record overdose deaths alone,” said Dr. Grant Colfax, director of the city's health department, according to the Chronicle. “We trust our city and regional partners and our legislators at the local, state and federal levels to join us in this moment as we continue to confront this crisis.”

The Chronicle said overdose rates have declined over the past four months, but the Office of Medical Examiner's Office's numbers are preliminary and could change based on further investigation.

“December's decline in deaths is not overstated in a year that has seen record numbers of tragic deaths overall,” Colfax said, according to the Chronicle. “Everyone who died was someone's loved one: a child, a sibling, a life partner, a mother, a father, a best friend.”

Overdose deaths increased among Latinos and Blacks, increasing by 45% and 38%, respectively, from 2022, according to the Chronicle. The number of deaths among white people has increased by 4% since 2022.

Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced in October that he was creating a law enforcement commission to investigate a fentanyl overdose death in San Francisco. The task force is comprised of members of the San Francisco Police Department and the San Francisco District Attorney's Office.

San Francisco spent $76 million on drug treatment programs and nearly $700 million on homelessness efforts in 2021-2022. according to To New Yorkers.

The city began a partnership with the state government in May to address overdose deaths in the city. A special intergovernmental commission will investigate homicides and other opioid deaths and potentially prosecute drug dealers as murderers.

But residents of the drug-infested Tenderloin area said the effort isn't solving the problem.

Breed and Newsom did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.