Wave Of Heroin Overdoses Hits Cincinnati

Overdoses from heroin laced with carfentanil are being reported throughout Cincinnati

The American heroin epidemic has become more dangerous, as reports of overdoses from heroin laced with carfentanil are being reported throughout the country.

On Wednesday alone, authorities announced a deadly spike in heroin overdoses. More than 32 overdose cases were reported and one death. The man that died in the parking lot of a Rally’s Hamburgers was thought to be in his 30s. It seemed that more dealers were sharing the potent mix.

Hamilton County Heroin Task Force Director Tom Synan mentioned that emergency teams answered to at least 20 non-fatal heroin overdoses on the west side of Cincinnati only on Tuesday. Those were followed by a weekend with at least 30 heroin overdoses in the same region. More than half of the overdoses occurred within a 30-minute time frame. The usual number of overdoses in the state is around 25 a week, so this is a considerable increase.

Law enforcement officials assume the heroin was laced with carfentanil, a powerful synthetic opioid painkiller 10,000 times stronger than morphine. It is commercially used to sedate big animals, such as elephants. With less that 2 grams of carfentanil, one could knock out a 2,000-pound African elephant.

It is an analog of the synthetic opioid analgesic fentanyl, the same painkiller that most recently made headlines with its part in the passing of the pop star Prince. When an individual consumes opioid medication, the brain gets used to the feeling, and it needs more of the drug to provide the same level of well-being or pain release, thus leading to dependence which usually turns into addiction.

Side effects of fentanyl analogs are similar to those of fentanyl itself, which include itching, nausea and potentially serious respiratory depression, which can be life-threatening.

Officials stated that carfentanil could slow breathing significantly, and many users might be unaware of taking the drug. Dealers are replacing heroin with fentanyl analogs in their quest to expand their supply and give an addition to the drug.

It’s causing concern for those battling the heroin epidemic, and its potency is dangerous, possibly deadly.

According to Sgt. Stephen Wheeles of the Indiana State Police, beyond the state line in Jennings County, Indiana, there were 11 heroin overdoses throughout the same period on Tuesday. Officials are now concerned that the overdoses could be connected.

Moreover, a capture of carfentanil in Manatee County, Florida, matched an increase in overdose deaths there.

Image source: Pixabay

Bio
Latest Posts

Karen Jackson

Karen Jackson has always been passionate about technology. All the way through high-school she immersed herself in computers and web-design. Her ambitious nature helped her become a pro in Adobe Photoshop only by watching online videos and working with the program herself. This is also the program that she mostly uses in the creation of websites at her work-place. Technological innovation and gadgets that push the boundaries of what we are comfortable with have always fascinated her, so expect to see some weird gadget reviews coming from her.