Pubdate: Thu, 29 Dec 2016
Source: Newsday (NY)
Copyright: 2016 Newsday Inc.
Contact:  http://www.newsday.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/308

DEATHS FROM FENTANYL SURPASS HEROIN DEATHS ON LONG ISLAND

NEW YORK - Health officials say the synthetic opioid fentanyl has
surpassed heroin as the leading cause of overdose deaths on Long Island.

The New York Times reports that fentanyl killed at least 220 people on
Long Island in 2016.

Fentanyl can be 100 times as potent as heroin and is much cheaper because
it can be made in a lab.

The numbers from Long Island are part of a national pattern. Fentanyl
fatalities have surpassed those from heroin in other parts of the country
including New England.

The medical examiners of Long Island's two counties, Nassau and Suffolk,
compiled the overdose statistics there.

Suffolk County Medical Examiner Dr. Michael Caplan said the influx of
illegally manufactured fentanyl from overseas requires "a
multidisciplinary intervention from all levels of government."
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