Fentanyl, 50-times more potent than heroin, is now the dominant opioid in Pennsylvania.
Attorney General Josh Shapiro says the State Bureau of Narcotics seized more fentanyl last year than they did the last four years combined.
Michael Ogden of Recovery Centers of America in Monroeville says it's easier to transport and cheaper to make compared to heroin.
Many of his patients are using fentanyl without knowing it.
Ogden says it's important to get those addicted into rehab as soon as possible with one fentanyl-laced pill able to cause an overdose.
According to the state's prescription drug monitoring program, there were 5,224 overdose deaths, an increase from 2020, which was a significant step above previous years.
Jared Shineberry with the State Department of Health says the pandemic is largely to blame.
"With the pandemic came a lot of different complexities and new hardships on some people's lives," he said.
He says those numbers are on pace to go up again in 2022.
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