Opioid overdose spike reported in Lorain County on Friday

Lorain County Public Health has reported an "unusually high" rate of opioid overdoses happened in the county on Friday, based on data from local emergency departments. The agency didn't say how many there were or if any were fatal. Street drugs and any drugs that are not prescribed by a doctor may contain deadly amounts of fentanyl — including fake pills sold as Adderall, Xanax, and oxycodone. Fentanyl is being mixed with all street drugs, including cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin, according to public health and law enforcement officials. A synthetic opioid up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine that was originally developed to treat pain in cancer patients, fentanyl can't be seen, smelled or tasted. Lorain County Health Commissioner Mark Adams said in a news release that people should carry naloxone, also known by the brand name Narcan, if they use drugs or have loved ones who use drugs. Naloxone can be obtained for free through many local health departments and some recovery organizations. Training on how to use it properly often is free. The Ohio Board of Pharmacy has a list of places you can get naloxone over the counter without a prescription, including most CVS, Discount Drug Mart, Giant Eagle, Marc's, Meijer, Rite Aid, Walmart and Walgreens pharmacies in Lorain County. To find a searchable list online, visit www.pharmacy.ohio.gov/Licensing/NaloxonePharmacy You can also order a kit that will be mailed to you in one to three business days. To order online, visit bit.ly/3phnx1X. Lorain County Public Health headquarters at 9880 Murray Ridge Road in Elyria also has kits available. Accidental overdose deaths spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic, with officials saying users may have felt increasingly isolated during that time. In May 2022, Lorain County Public Health recorded anomalies of up to 10 overdoses in a 24-hour time frame three times. There were 10 on May 14, 2022; nine on May 7, 2022; and eight on May 1, 2022, the Mental Health, Addiction and Recovery Services Board of Lorain County reported at the time. There was another spike in overdoses with 11 resulting in two deaths over a 24-hour period for the weekend of Oct. 22-23. Emergency rooms alerted the Ohio Department of Health which alerted Lorain County Public Health. Research shows that much of the fentanyl coming into the United States is smuggled across the southern U.S. border by American citizens. The majority of those being caught smuggling it over the U.S.-Mexico border are U.S. citizens. Additional batches of the drug come into the U.S. thorugh the mail from China, but fentanyl "is primarily trafficked by U.S. citizens," the libertarian think tank The Cato Institute reported in September. "Every year, U.S. citizens receive the most convictions by far. In 2021, U.S. citizens accounted for 86.3 percent of fentanyl trafficking convictions compared to just 8.9 percent for illegal immigrants," Cato reported, citing U.S. Sentencing Commission data on federal drug smuggling convictions. As of September 2022, more than 90 percent of fentanyl border seizures occurred at legal border crossings and vehicle checkpoints — with 91 percent of drug seizures at checkpoints from U.S. citizens and only 4 percent by "potentially removable" immigrants, Cato reported, citing U.S. Government Accountability Office documents. "U.S. Border Patrol agents who were not at vehicle checkpoints accounted for just 9 percent of the fentanyl seizures near the border," Cato reported. "Since it is easier for U.S. citizens to cross legally than noncitizens, it makes sense for fentanyl producers to hire U.S. citizen smugglers." If you use drugs: Never use alone. Call (800) 484-3731. An operator will stay on the line and call emergency services if you don't respond. Visit the Harm Reduction Clinic at The Nord Center, 6140 S. Broadway, Lorain. There, you can exchange syringes, pick up fentanyl testing strips, and get support. When you're ready to ask for help for drug abuse or addiction, call the MHARS Board hotline at (800) 888-6161. For those struggling with addiction, or who know someone who is, the MHARS Board operates a non-emergency navigator line to help find recovery services at (440) 240-7025. MHARS also operates a 24-hour alcohol and drug helpline at (440) 989-4900, and a crisis text line that can be reached by texting 4HOPE to 741741.