Estimates suggest that over 94,000 people died of drug overdose in 2020 and 60% of these involved illicitly-manufactured fentanyls or other synthetic opioids.
Illicity-manufactured fentanyls and synthetic opioids first were involved in overdose deaths in midwestern and eastern states. Their involvement in overdose deaths has expanded to states west of the Mississippi and increased in the majority of states since 2019.
Cocaine-involved overdose deaths have tripled since 2012, and methamphetamine-involved overdose deaths have increased sixfold. Meanwhile, the involvement of heroin and prescription opioids in overdose deaths has remained stable or decreased in many regions.
Have you heard about fentanyl-involved cocaine overdoses in NYC?
Fentanyl has been most commonly involved with heroin-involved overdose deaths, but NYC's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) has noted a slight uptick in fentanyl-involved cocaine deaths. We sat down with Michelle Nolan, Senior Epidemiologist at DOHMH, to learn about the latest data and how best to inform people who use cocaine about potential risks and harm reduction strategies. See the slides from this discussion.