December 9th, 2016 by WCBC Radio
Overdose deaths from the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl increased 83 percent in Maryland last year and those numbers are on the rise this year according to the state’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. The rise continues an alarming trend that began in 2013. Since that year, the number of fentanyl-related deaths has increased 12-fold. Health officials attribute the rapid spike to illicit fentanyl, rather than the prescription form of the drug. Illicit fentanyl is produced in underground laboratories and often mixed with heroin to create an especially strong high. They say the drug can be 50 to 100 times more potent than heroin and morphine. Department Secretary Van Mitchell says education about the dangers of fentanyl can literally save lives….
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