Heroin Contaminated with Fentanyl Results in 37 Maryland Deaths
- 10 years ago
A recent batch of heroin containing Fentanyl has circulated around the state of Maryland, causing a minimum of 37 deaths since September 2013.
The highly addictive drug heroin as derived from morphine is bad enough in destroying lives, including the recent death of actor Philip Seymour Hoffman. However, heroin tainted with an artificial version of morphine called “Fentanyl” is around 100 times stronger and has resulted in dozens of deaths throughout the U.S. A recent batch containing Fentanyl has circulated around the state of Maryland, causing a minimum of 37 deaths since September 2013.
According to the state’s medical examiner Dr. David Fowler, there have been a total of 318 heroin overdose deaths since September 2013, and the 37 deaths involving Fentanyl make up 12 percent of that total.
While 10 of the 37 deaths happened in the city limits of Baltimore, the other cases have been reported by counties all across the state.
At the Northwest D.C. clinic called “Bread for the City,” medical attention is offered to heroin users. The clinic said since Thanksgiving, 2013, there was a dramatic increase in requests for Narcan, another drug serving as an antidote to overdose effects.
To prevent overdoses, some Maryland counties have started to organize additional workforces.
The highly addictive drug heroin as derived from morphine is bad enough in destroying lives, including the recent death of actor Philip Seymour Hoffman. However, heroin tainted with an artificial version of morphine called “Fentanyl” is around 100 times stronger and has resulted in dozens of deaths throughout the U.S. A recent batch containing Fentanyl has circulated around the state of Maryland, causing a minimum of 37 deaths since September 2013.
According to the state’s medical examiner Dr. David Fowler, there have been a total of 318 heroin overdose deaths since September 2013, and the 37 deaths involving Fentanyl make up 12 percent of that total.
While 10 of the 37 deaths happened in the city limits of Baltimore, the other cases have been reported by counties all across the state.
At the Northwest D.C. clinic called “Bread for the City,” medical attention is offered to heroin users. The clinic said since Thanksgiving, 2013, there was a dramatic increase in requests for Narcan, another drug serving as an antidote to overdose effects.
To prevent overdoses, some Maryland counties have started to organize additional workforces.