MANHATTAN — Death related to heroin overdoses and fentanyl have risen dramatically nationwide just over the last few years.
According to the Centers for Disease Control nationwide more than 15,000 overdose deaths involving heroin occurred in both 2016 and 2017. More than 5,000 of those deaths were attributed to heroin and other synthetic narcotics and those numbers have been increasing steadily over the past decade. Riley County Health Department Director Jennifer Green says the rise is common among men and women of all age groups and income levels.
Fentanyl is an synthetic opioid pain reliever, often prescribed for advanced cancer pain. It’s 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine according to the CDC and therefore extremely dangerous says Green to anyone who uses it.
Often it’s illegally produced and then sold. Green says the health department recently received grant funding and will be doing more to educate the public on the use of illegal drugs and in particular prescription opioids. They’ll also be offering mental health first aid this spring.
Green recommends people get familiar with safe prescribing practices and remove any unwanted or unused prescription medications from your home.
More information about the dangers of heroin and fentanyl are available at the CDC.gov. The health department will have more information about its opioid prevention efforts in the coming week on its website and social media platforms.
