While prescription opioid doses decrease in Ohio, deaths from fentanyl rise
While fewer prescription opiate doses were dispensed in Ohio, deaths related to drug overdose continue to rise. Overdose deaths related to fentanyl significantly contributed to the rise of drug addiction-related deaths, according to the Ohio Department of Health. In 2014, fentanyl contributed to 502 drug overdose deaths, whereas one year earlier, it contributed to just 84 overdose-related deaths, according to the Ohio Department of Mental Health. In 2014, drug overdose deaths, including both opioids and heroin, reached record levels in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Like many states, Ohio saw an increase in the number of deaths related to drug overdose; deaths attributed to drug overdose in Ohio increased by 17.6 percent, to 2,482 in 2014. Fentanyl is up to 50 times more potent than heroin, and 100 times more potent than morphine, according to the CDC.
“We are right in the middle of this epidemic, as an organization, and as a treatment center.”
- Nelson Ramirez executive director at Hispanic UMADAOP
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