From Sacramento to Texas to Portland to even DuPage County, everywhere in the USA is being affected by the opioid crisis. The DuPage County Coroner’s Office has completed all suspected opioid related deaths from 2017. The numbers are startling and show that there continues to be a serious problem of addiction and death related to legal and illegal opioids this is why there is a growing demand for the services a detox clinic offers. Improving the access to support for these addicts is the focus for many to reduce the death count.
The trend towards the mixture of the opioid fentanyl into the heroin and the emergence of fentanyl analogues in the Chicagoland area continues as a serious problem. These fentanyl analogues are very strong and we have identified another death due to carfentanyl, which is 10,000 stronger than morphine. Some illegal street drug dealers are mixing fentanyl with heroin so they are able to supply you with a smaller amount due to fentanyl being a much stronger opioid, therefore creating more profit – while leaving heroin users with no intention of fentanyl usage, to overdose and die. If you were to fentanyl drug test many opioid addicts today, they’d unknowingly test positive for fentanyl.
These numbers do not reflect the lives who have been saved by police, fire and medical personnel using the opioid antidote naloxone. If this life saving drug had not been widely used, the number of deaths would be much higher.
2015
(# of deaths)
36 = Heroin alone
7 = Heroin/Fentanyl mixture
8 = Fentanyl alone
Total deaths = 51
2016
36 = Heroin alone
26 = Heroin/Fentanyl mixture
16 = Fentanyl alone
17 = Prescription medications
Total deaths (illegal Drugs) = 78
Total deaths (all opioids) = 95
2017
23 = Heroin alone
32 = Heroin/Fentanyl mixture
17 = Fentanyl alone
23 = Prescription medications
Total deaths (illegal drugs) = 72
Total deaths (all opioids) = 95
These numbers reveal that our work is not done in the quest to eradicate this epidemic. We must continue to bring education to our citizens about this problem to prevent the use of opioids, treat those who are addicted and eradicate the supply of illegal drugs.
We must urge people to have an effective drug testing kit, similar to the marquis reagent, with them at all times. This will help them to know exactly what drugs they’re taking, as some may not be what you think they are. If you can identify what type of substances you’re taking, you will have a better idea about whether they’ll cause additional harm to your body, or even your life. But of course, educating people in the types of drugs that are out there could help to make a difference to the lives that are lost.
