New Orleans officials warn the public that city health officials have seen an alarming number of people dying from cocaine and marijuana laced with fentanyl.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, mayoral spokesman Beau Tidwell says over the last few months, EMS and the health department have documented increasing numbers of cases of non-opioid drugs tainted with deadly fentanyl.
“On multiple incidents recently, users of cocaine or marijuana, have ultimately been poisoned by this fentanyl and we need people to be aware of that,” said Tidwell. “Two deaths have happened as of yesterday. It does appear to be clustering in certain parts of the city.”
Tidwell says the city is ensuring that the life-saving antidote to fentanyl, Narcan, is made available to the city’s fire department and EMS.
“Obviously, illegal drugs are bad on their own, but beyond that people need to know there are bad drugs out there right now,” Tidwell added. “And if you are a user or know someone who is that is something you need to absolutely need to be aware of.”