Butler County set record for OD deaths in ’17, with 4 out of 5 caused by fentanyl and its cousins
The hugely potent synthetic opiate fentanyl and its cousins caused a 21 percent jump in fatal overdoses in Butler County for 2017.
More than 80 percent of last year’s 232 overdose deaths in Butler County were linked to illegal fentanyl and its derivatives. The killer drugs, opioids themselves, are generally manufactured sloppily in “bucket” factories overseas and can be 10 percent to 50 percent more potent than heroin.
Fatal overdoses accounted for 4 out of 5 accidental deaths in the county, which were down 7 percent from 2016.
Fatal overdoses have been rising in Butler County since 2012, said Dr. Lisa Mannix, the Butler County coroner, who announced the 2017 count for her county Tuesday.
What’s happening in Butler County mirrors a national shift in overdoses linked to the prescription painkiller and heroin epidemic.
The coroner also noted a fourfold increase in overdose deaths that tested positive for methamphetamine, although fentanyl was noted in these deaths, as well, Mannix said. Meth was linked to 46 deaths – or 1 out of every 5 fatal overdoses in the county.
“The proliferation of fentanyl analogs and increase in methamphetamine have turned an already bad situation into something far worse,” Mannix said.
“More than half the cases we are working are meth trafficking,” Chris Conners, director of the Northern Kentucky Drug Strike Force, said in December.
See Enquirer story: Meth cases surge
Like public officials in other communities, Mannix expressed hope that a multiagency, communitywide approach to ending the opioid epidemic continues.
The coroner’s office, health department and addiction services groups in Butler County urged the continued use of the opioid-overdose antidote naloxone and steering people into addiction treatment that includes medication.
It would appear that Gov Kasich and the Ohio Board of Pharmacy seems to believe that legal opiates are driving addiction and OD’s. Maybe Gov Kasich, the members of the Ohio Board of Pharmacy and the other bureaucrats/politicans needs to look somewhere else for the cause of these deaths other where they seem to be looking now ?
Filed under: General Problems
If I remember the news report not too long ago. The Butler County Sheriff will not allow his force to issue naltrexone to overdose cases. He stated the liability to his people while reviving was not worth it. He also had other tough stances on criminals that I liked.
Meth has been rampant for many year’s now here. Both meth and herion users are being admitted to our local hospitals, then sent to places like half way houses then furnished with money and housing and drugs to ” kick ” their habit. You either hear of people turning themselves into rehab or read about in our paper all the time. It started happening rather quickly since 2018. The paper here is filled with stories of addicted pregnant mothers that are given weekly classes and MAT, (on suboxene,etc)given money and whatever else the state supplies them. I’ve seen just one story of a pregnant mom relapsing.
I don’t hear of much accountability from any of these stories though. That’s the problem. IMO the State is getting funded and using what they can and the junkies are using the State.
Also alot of us voters are complaining about Kasich here.
Up until August 2016 I attended meetings for my city to be informed on the herion crisis as it was always called. Since I volunteer in my community I wanted to be informed.
After that meeting the news shifted to ‘ opioid crisis’ by September 2016. It has snowballed ever since.
IMO the government saw dollar signs by doing this. They are making money off the street drugs and addicts but blaming it on opioids and making money by suing pharmaceutical companies due to the drug overdoses.
They just finished suing Tabacco companies. For some odd reason In Ohio we are seeing t.v disclaimers about how bad smoking is for you. You think they could of been proactive 20 year’s or so ago? No one until now has heard from this industry. Why now?
I don’t trust none of them.