Pubdate: Sun, 22 Jan 2017
Source: Hartford Courant (CT)
Copyright: 2017 The Hartford Courant
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/IpIfHam4
Website: http://www.courant.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/183

CDC: CONNECTICUT SECOND IN PERCENT INCREASE OF SYNTHETIC OPIOID DEATHS RATE

[photo] In this Aug. 9, 2016, photo, a vial containing 2mg of fentanyl,
which will kill a human if ingested into the body, is displayed at the
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Testing and Research
Laboratory in Sterling, Va. A 2mg dose of fentanyl is fatal to 99 percent
of humans. A novel class of deadly drugs is exploding across the country,
with many manufactured in China for export around the world. The drugs,
synthetic opioids, are fueling the deadliest addiction crisis the U.S. has
ever seen. (Cliff Owen / AP)

The rate of deaths from synthetic opioids in Connecticut, including those
from fentanyl, more than doubled from 2014 to 2015, the second-highest
percentage increase out of 28 states included in a recent federal
analysis.

The federal report further illustrates the depth of the public health
crisis in the state.

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report shows that the rate of
deaths jumped 125 percent during that time -- second only to New York. The
rate, the CDC said, is number of deaths per 100,000 people. The analysis
was limited to states that met a criteria based on the reporting of drug
overdoses on death certificates.

In 2015, there were 6.1 deaths per 100,000 residents, up from 2.7 in 2014.
Fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, is often mixed with heroin to
increase its potency, raising the risk of overdose, experts say.

Connecticut's U.S. senators say an omnibus health bill that is heading to
President Barack Obama's desk is a game-changer and could bring millions
of dollars to the state to fight opioid addiction.

The Senate passed the 21st Century Cures Act with a 94-5 vote Wednesday.
The House passed the legislation...

Connecticut's U.S. senators say an omnibus health bill that is heading to
President Barack Obama's desk is a game-changer and could bring millions
of dollars to the state to fight opioid addiction.

The Senate passed the 21st Century Cures Act with a 94-5 vote Wednesday.
The House passed the legislation... (RUSSELL BLAIR)

The increase in overdoses was not limited to synthetic opioids.
Connecticut also saw one of the largest increases in the rate of heroin
overdose deaths from 2014 to 1015, the report said. The rate increased
from 8.9 per 100,000 in 2014 to 11.3 in 2015.

The CDC report provides overdose statistics for 2014 and 2015, while the
state medical examiner has issued more recent figures. The report shows
there were 299 heroin deaths in 2014 and 390 in 2015. The state medical
examiner has said there were 444 heroin deaths in the first half of 2016,
the latest figures available.

Fentanyl was involved in 223 overdose deaths in the first half of 2016,
more than all of 2015, data from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner
shows.

"I think the fentanyl has made a big difference (in the increase of
overdose deaths)," Chief Medical Examiner Dr. James Gill said in September
after releasing the data. "It's very potent and there's just a lot of it
out there. People don't know what they're getting and it's very easy to
overdose on."

Gill's office projected that 446 people would die in Connecticut during
2016 from overdoses involving fentanyl, which would represent a 137
percent increase from the 188 who died in 2015. Year-end numbers have not
been released.

Though it can be prescribed, the increase in overdoses is most likely
attributed to fentanyl that is illicitly manufactured and sold, the CDC
reported. The Drug Enforcement Administration, in its recent 2016 drug
threat assessment, placed fentanyl as one of the most significant of
threats.

State and local police officials say they continue to find fentanyl in the
drugs that they seize. Derby police last month seized 55 pounds of
suspected fentanyl, valued by authorities at $1.5 million, from a
tractor-trailer truck.

Hartford Deputy police Chief Foley said fentanyl, often mixed with heroin,
is a consistent presence as the city tries to combat overdoses.

"We are past the surprised-to-see-it phase and we are in the
expect-to-see-it-now stage," Foley said.

The CDC, in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report released Dec. 30,
wrote: "The ongoing epidemic of opioid deaths requires intense attention
and action." The state has taken efforts in recent years to combat the
opioid crisis.

One of the measures, signed into law last year, decreased the number of
days for first-time opioid prescriptions. Experts have pointed to
prescription opioids as a gateway to addiction that can turn deadly.

Other measures have focused on increasing access to naloxone, a drug that
reverses opioid overdoses.

State police, who have been carrying the drug since 2014, has revived 133
people suffering from opioid overdoses, a spokeswoman said Wednesday.

Hartford police, following city firefighters and EMS, announced recently
that they will carry naloxone.

The state also commissioned a strategic plan, released in the fall,
providing an outline to prevent addiction and stop fatal opioid overdoses.
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