Kentucky's overdose deaths surge
By Kat Russell, Reporter
The Paducah Sun
June 15, 2016
http://www.paducahsun.com/news/local/state-s-overdose-deaths-surge/article_c79f2648-5b0e-11e7-b623-10604b9f0f42.html
While many counties in Kentucky saw big increases in fatal drug overdoses last year, McCracken and Marshall counties ran counter to the trend and recorded many fewer fatal cases.
The state's 2015 Overdose Fatality Report, released Tuesday, showed 1,248 people died of drug overdoses in Kentucky last year, a 15 percent increase over the 1,087 deaths in 2014.
Conversely, McCracken and Marshall counties had a decrease in fatal overdoses with McCracken dropping by half, from 20 in 2014 to 10 in 2015, and Marshall dipping from 12 to under five (the report didn't specify numbers below five).
Heroin, the addictive opioid that prompted legislation mandating tougher penalties for drug traffickers and increased funding for addiction treatment in 2015, accounted for 28 percent of all overdose deaths.
But state officials are more concerned with another opioid: fentanyl.
The synthetic drug, which health officials say is 30 to 50 times more potent than heroin, accounted for 420 overdose deaths in 2015, up from 121 deaths in 2014. Overall, fentanyl accounted for 34 percent of all reported overdose deaths.
Paducah drug detective John Tolliver said drug suppliers typically use fentanyl to cut or dilute their heroin supply, making the already-dangerous drug deadly.
"Fentanyl is typically cheaper than heroin," Tolliver said. "So by mixing the fentanyl with heroin, drug suppliers can stretch out their supply and turn more of a profit. The problem with that is, dealers are selling the heroin but the people who are buying it don't know it's mixed with fentanyl. So (the buyers) are shooting the amount they would usually shoot and are overdosing because the fentanyl makes the shot that much stronger."
Tolliver said heroin and fentanyl have not become a big problem in Paducah, but McCracken Chief Deputy Mike Turnbow said heroin arrests in the county are becoming more commonplace.
"For us (the McCracken County Sheriff's Department), we're seeing more arrests with heroin," he said. "If you go back 10 or even five years ago, heroin was uncommon for us. Then all of a sudden, we start seeing it and now it's like almost every week we're making a heroin arrest. So it's here now, and I hate to say it but it's here to stay."
As for fentanyl, Turnbow said he can't be sure if the synthetic opioid is becoming more common because the agency's field-testing kits only show that an opioid drug is present.
In Marshall County, Sheriff Kevin Byers said he hopes the drop in fatal overdoses is a sign of law enforcement's increased efforts to keep heroin out of local communities.
"I hope it is a credit to the kind of job we're doing with our drug divisions, ours and McCracken County's both," he said. "We work well together, and it's not unusual to see our guys over there helping McCracken or McCracken officers here working with us."
Byers said he also believes western Kentucky agencies have been on high alert since the heroin epidemic started ravaging cities and towns in the eastern and northern parts of the state.
"Seeing what's been going on over there, we've tried to get a jump on it and get prepared before it hits our area," he said. "We do see heroin use and some fentanyl use in our area; there has been an influx, but it hasn't gotten to the level that it is over there. But because it has been so prevalent there, everybody around the state ... has tried to head it off as much as possible."
Kentucky lawmakers also anticipated the rise in fentanyl when they changed the drug laws in 2015.
They made synthetic fentanyl a Schedule I narcotic, meaning it cannot be prescribed, and increased penalties for trafficking in fentanyl.
People caught trafficking 2 grams or more of fentanyl or heroin can be charged with a class C felony and sentenced to up to 10 years in prison.
Lawmakers are also spending more money on treatment programs. The 2015 law allocated an additional $10 million for drug treatment programs. The two-year operating budget the state legislature passed this year includes an additional $32 million for anti-drug efforts.
The state's 2015 Overdose Fatality Report, released Tuesday, showed 1,248 people died of drug overdoses in Kentucky last year, a 15 percent increase over the 1,087 deaths in 2014.
Conversely, McCracken and Marshall counties had a decrease in fatal overdoses with McCracken dropping by half, from 20 in 2014 to 10 in 2015, and Marshall dipping from 12 to under five (the report didn't specify numbers below five).
Heroin, the addictive opioid that prompted legislation mandating tougher penalties for drug traffickers and increased funding for addiction treatment in 2015, accounted for 28 percent of all overdose deaths.
But state officials are more concerned with another opioid: fentanyl.
The synthetic drug, which health officials say is 30 to 50 times more potent than heroin, accounted for 420 overdose deaths in 2015, up from 121 deaths in 2014. Overall, fentanyl accounted for 34 percent of all reported overdose deaths.
Paducah drug detective John Tolliver said drug suppliers typically use fentanyl to cut or dilute their heroin supply, making the already-dangerous drug deadly.
"Fentanyl is typically cheaper than heroin," Tolliver said. "So by mixing the fentanyl with heroin, drug suppliers can stretch out their supply and turn more of a profit. The problem with that is, dealers are selling the heroin but the people who are buying it don't know it's mixed with fentanyl. So (the buyers) are shooting the amount they would usually shoot and are overdosing because the fentanyl makes the shot that much stronger."
Tolliver said heroin and fentanyl have not become a big problem in Paducah, but McCracken Chief Deputy Mike Turnbow said heroin arrests in the county are becoming more commonplace.
"For us (the McCracken County Sheriff's Department), we're seeing more arrests with heroin," he said. "If you go back 10 or even five years ago, heroin was uncommon for us. Then all of a sudden, we start seeing it and now it's like almost every week we're making a heroin arrest. So it's here now, and I hate to say it but it's here to stay."
As for fentanyl, Turnbow said he can't be sure if the synthetic opioid is becoming more common because the agency's field-testing kits only show that an opioid drug is present.
In Marshall County, Sheriff Kevin Byers said he hopes the drop in fatal overdoses is a sign of law enforcement's increased efforts to keep heroin out of local communities.
"I hope it is a credit to the kind of job we're doing with our drug divisions, ours and McCracken County's both," he said. "We work well together, and it's not unusual to see our guys over there helping McCracken or McCracken officers here working with us."
Byers said he also believes western Kentucky agencies have been on high alert since the heroin epidemic started ravaging cities and towns in the eastern and northern parts of the state.
"Seeing what's been going on over there, we've tried to get a jump on it and get prepared before it hits our area," he said. "We do see heroin use and some fentanyl use in our area; there has been an influx, but it hasn't gotten to the level that it is over there. But because it has been so prevalent there, everybody around the state ... has tried to head it off as much as possible."
Kentucky lawmakers also anticipated the rise in fentanyl when they changed the drug laws in 2015.
They made synthetic fentanyl a Schedule I narcotic, meaning it cannot be prescribed, and increased penalties for trafficking in fentanyl.
People caught trafficking 2 grams or more of fentanyl or heroin can be charged with a class C felony and sentenced to up to 10 years in prison.
Lawmakers are also spending more money on treatment programs. The 2015 law allocated an additional $10 million for drug treatment programs. The two-year operating budget the state legislature passed this year includes an additional $32 million for anti-drug efforts.
