OPIOID OVERDOSE DEATHS

A report from Florida’s medical examiners shows a dramatic increase in all types of drug-related deaths, including a 97 percent increase in deaths caused by the synthetic opioid fentanyl. The total number of drug-related deaths in Florida jumped 22 percent from 2015 to 2016 and the number of opioid-related deaths grew by 35 percent. Opioids were either the direct cause of death or were present. The report said Holmes, Washington, and Bay counties in the panhandle are among the highest in prescribing of opioids. Florida Governor Rick Scott and President Donald Trump have labeled the issue a public health crisis.

 

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