515 fatal overdoses of drugs reported in Connecticut in the first half of 2018

In the first half of 2018, 515 people died from a drug overdose, and fentanyl, a synthetic opiate that now commonly replaces heroin, is responsible for many of the deaths, according to statistics released on Thursday. .

The figures, compiled by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, show little sign of a slowdown in Connecticut's deadly opioid epidemic, with projections similar to those of last year.

In June, 515 people died from a fatal overdose. Fentanyl, the dangerous and potent synthetic opioid, was present in 370 of these deaths, surpassing any other narcotic.

In publishing these statistics, Dr. James Gill, Chief Medical Examiner, said, "Fentanyl continues to be the most commonly detected drug and the number of deaths with fentanyl continues to increase."

The total number of overdose deaths associated with fentanyl could reach 740 by 2018, up from 670 after fentanyl use last year, according to Gill.

Deaths related to opioids have increased significantly since at least 2012, according to statistics. Officials said the spurt was driven by an overabundance of prescription opioids in the past.

Despite this trend, projections for the coming year do not show the dramatic increase in the number of deaths from the previous year.

This stabilization comes at a time when community organizations and local and state governments have launched numerous initiatives to combat opioid addiction.

Along with the increased availability of naloxone, the drug reversing opioid overdoses, efforts are underway to improve access to drug-assisted treatments. In addition, other federal grants, including a $ 10 million grant from the federal administration of addiction and mental health services, were granted this summer.

Connecticut has also launched a massive awareness campaign, called "Change the Script", with bold billboards and ads, as well as public service video ads.

In announcing the campaign in February, Governor Dannel P. Malloy said that encouraging news about the epidemic had been published, including a decrease last year in the total number of opioid prescriptions.