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According to reports to the state, lethal drug overdoses rose to a record 4,854 last year in Ohio, an increase of 20 percent over the previous year.
Data on unintentional drug deaths provided to the Ohio Department of Health show that 2017 was the eighth consecutive year that drug-related deaths have increased, the Columbus Dispatch reported Sunday. Ohio County coroners recorded 4,050 fatal overdoses in 2016.
The review of the data shows that fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, continued to fuel the drug epidemic, accounting for nearly three-quarters of last year's overdose deaths and 3,431 deaths. That was 46% higher than the year before. Deaths from cocaine increased 39% from 1,109 in 2016 to 1,540 last year.
Among the positive news is the 46 deaths per heroin drop to 987 last year, the lowest number of deaths in four years.
The fatal overdoses due to prescription opioids also declined in 2017, dropping to 523, the lowest number in eight years, up from 724 in 2011, the newspaper reported.
Russ Kennedy, spokesperson for the Ohio Department of Health, says the study shows that significant progress has been made in reducing the number of prescription opioids available for abuse.
Kennedy confirmed Sunday that the health department plans to release its own analysis of drug-related deaths in 2017 this week. He also noted that the information shows that the number of unintentional overdose deaths in Ohio decreased by 23% in the second half of 2017.
A recent state report on drug trends indicates that "drug cartels have flooded Ohio" with fentanyl, and many users do not realize they have used opioid because it is
"Drug traffickers flood communities with different drugs to see what's going on. These are very smart business people, "said Lori Criss, CEO of the Ohio Council of Health Behavioral & Family Services Providers.
Cheri Walter, CEO of Ohio's Ohio Association of Behavioral Health Authorities, said the death toll was high, but it could have been much worse.
"The reality is that we have focused on opioids and heroin, and now we see more deaths involving other drugs, so we need to focus on treatment" for all kinds of addictions, Walter said.
Governor John Kasich's administration spends more than $ 1 billion a year fighting the drug epidemic, the bulk of which is providing addiction treatment through the expansion of Medicaid. The government is also investing in providing the opioid overdose antidote, naloxone, first responders and others, as well as supporting efforts, including drug courts, drug convalescence and educational programs.
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