Fentanyl-related overdose deaths in Delaware continue to rise
Fentanyl-laced drug overdose deaths continue to rise in Delaware, which is an "alarming surge," state officials say.
Toxicology reports from the Delaware Division of Forensic Science confirmed that from January through mid-May, 44 people died from overdoses related to fentanyl, a synthetic painkiller that is 50 times more powerful than heroin. It is used in smaller doses to treat severe chronic pain or help manage post-surgical pain because it can cause life-threatening breathing problems.
Last year there were 42 fentanyl-related deaths, and in 2014 there were only 11. Overall, 228 people died from overdoses in 2015, with 222 reported in 2014, according to the forensic division.
Heroin: Delaware's deadly crisis
Drug dealers are crushing fentanyl into a white powder and mixing it with heroin and cocaine, state officials said in a release, or pressing the drug into pills and passing it off as Oxycotin.
It is extremely difficult to tell which bags of heroin contain fentanyl because both are a white powder. There is another synthetic opioid flooding the drug market as well, called W-18, which is 100 times more potent than fentanyl and is difficult to detect in bodily fluid or drug seizures.
James Mosley, secretary of the state Department of Safety and Homeland Security, said that toxicology reports confirmed the presence of heroin in only seven of the 44 cases and cocaine in 19.
“The surging number of deaths in our state related to the ingestion of fentanyl is heartbreaking,” Mosley said in a statement. “The fentanyl is so toxic that it greatly decreases the chance of survival.”
The startling increases in Delaware are on par with national trends, which show an 80 percent increase in fentanyl-related deaths from 2013 to 2014, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Even with the best efforts of law enforcement and treatment experts, the News Journal reported that nothing has slowed Delaware's heroin problem. Many struggle to navigate piecemeal services and insurance may not even cover treatment once they get to a facility's door.
A series of stories in the News Journal detailed how more innovative treatment options are desperately needed in Delaware and how more and more young people go out of state to get care. The News Journal went to Gloucester, Massachusetts, and Delray Beach, Florida, to see innovative treatment strategies at work.
Those struggling with addiction in Delaware can call the state's 24/7 Crisis Services at (800) 652-2929 in New Castle County, or (800) 345-6785 in Kent and Sussex counties to be connected to treatment services.
Visit www.HelpIsHereDE.com for addiction treatment and recovery services in Delaware and nearby states.