A dangerous trend in the drug trade across the country and here in Minnesota.
Our parent company, Audacy, launched an investigation into online activity involving drug dealers selling pain medication laced with fentanyl, making them cheaper and driving overdoses to deadly new depths.
“Whether they are taking it for pain, or recreation or whatever the reason, they don’t realize it’s laced with fentanyl and it’s very easy to overdose on it,” said Twin Cities based Hazelden Betty Ford Director of Services Lydia Burr.
The increasing trend is nationwide however Minnesota is actually doing better than the rest of the country.
Burr said customers will search online for affordable pain medication like Vicodin, Percocet, Oxycontin, and the drug dealer sends out pills laced with the synthetic drug, which is much more potent than the original drug.
“They are experiencing an overdose, even though they are using the same amount that they normally think would be effective for them.”
She also said it’s difficult to locate where the drugs are coming from because the drugs are made in labs that can be set up just about anywhere.
In Minnesota, synthetic drug overdoses have outpaced other forms of overdose, according to the Department of Health.
Minnesota overdose deaths averaged almost two people a day last year. “This is the continuation of an alarming trend.” Using preliminary data from Minnesota death certificates, the health department said 637 people died from a drug overdose in 2016 compared to 583 deaths in 2015.
For more information click https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/opioids/opioid-dashboard/index.html
Members of Minnesota’s Congressional delegation recently introduced a bipartisan resolution to posthumously award the Congressional Gold Medal to pop superstar Prince who died of an accidental fentanyl overdose.
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If awarded, the Congressional Gold Medal will be placed in the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in the late music icon’s honor.