The Problem
The use of fentanyl, a dangerous synthetic opioid that is often mixed with heroin or other drugs, is on the rise in Manchester and across the nation.
Heroin and prescription opioid addiction has devastated the nation overall. Additionally, many areas, like Manchester, have seen a rise in the abuse of fentanyl. This synthetic opioid is often either mixed in with heroin, or pressed into pill form to look like prescription pain relievers. Data indicates that there are now more known fatal overdoses from the drug now since when it was first created in 1959.
Just one sign of the drug’s quick rise: in 2013 there were only 1,041 reports of fentanyl identified by Federal, State and local forensic laboratories. During 2016 alone there were almost 29,000 reports.1
The town of Manchester has the highest rate of drug overdose than any other town in New Hampshire. Fentanyl overdoses in the state from 2016 were almost 14 times the amount of cocaine overdoses.2 With the demand for prescription drugs increasing, it’s likely that overdoses from fentanyl or fentanyl counterfeit pills could increase.
1 “Fentanyl: The Next Wave of the Opioid Crisis.” Statement from Louis J. Milione Assistant Administrator, Drug Enforcement Administration. March 21, 2017.
2 Source: NH Drug Monitoring Initiative: Drug Environment Report.
