Fentanyl

Not Just in Heroin — Fentanyl Can Kill in Cocaine, Too: Mountainside Treatment Center Exec

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Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid 50 times stronger than heroin, continues to drive the opioid crisis throughout Connecticut. Fentanyl has factored into an alarming number of opioid overdose deaths across the state and the nation, but residents now face another growing threat: fentanyl-laced cocaine. 
— an announcement from Mountainside Treatment Center
In 2017, the Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner attributed fentanyl to 677 accidental intoxication deaths across the state. Of these fatal overdoses, the mixture of fentanyl and cocaine killed 220 people, compared to the two deadly overdoses it caused just five years earlier. While fentanyl and heroin still proved to be the most lethal drug combination for Connecticut residents from 2015 to 2018, NPR notes that the number of deaths involving fentanyl-laced cocaine jumped by 420 percent during the same time frame. A highly addictive stimulant, cocaine induces euphoria and makes users more alert.