Fentanyl-Laced Drugs Blamed For Increase In Overdose Deaths in King County

SEATTLE (AP) – Officials with Public Health – Seattle & King County say pills and drugs in powder form laced with fentanyl are behind a spike in overdose deaths across King County.

The Seattle Times reports ongoing tracking of overdose deaths by Public Health shows that, between mid-June and mid-September, 141 people overdosed and died. During the same period last year, 109 people died.

Officials say another concerning trend is an increase in the number of housed people who are dying from fentanyl-related overdoses. From June to September, 21 housed people have died from overdoses that somehow involved fentanyl, a synthetic narcotic much more potent than other opioids like heroin.

Since January, 63 housed people have died from fentanyl. That exceeds last year’s total of 62.

Public Health found that from mid-June through August, only one person experiencing homelessness died from fentanyl-related causes.

Overdose deaths continue to rise in King County and across the state, driven by fentanyl.
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Information from: The Seattle Times, http://www.seattletimes.com