DRUGS: “The number of drug-related overdose deaths in Connecticut is forecast to exceed 1,000 in 2017, the highest number since the opioid epidemic began and the latest indication that the crisis hasn’t abated, according to data released Monday [8-28-17].
There were 539 deaths related to drug-abuse through June 30, the state’s medical examiner said. If that continues at the same rate for the entire year, the medical examiner predicted there would be 1,078 overdose deaths in Connecticut, up 18% over 2016 and more than three times the amount from 2012…
Hartford, the state capital, had 40 drug-related overdose deaths during the first half of this year, the most in the state. Waterbury was second, with 32, followed by Bridgeport with 25, the medical examiner’s office said.
The vast majority of the deaths were due to opioid abuse, the office said. Fentanyl replaced heroin as the most common opioid found in overdose deaths in the state, the medical examiner said.
The state projects there will be 644 deaths involving fentanyl by the end of the year compared with 514 for heroin. In 2016, there were 483 fentanyl-related overdose deaths and 508 for heroin, officials said.
Gov. Dannel Malloy, a Democrat, said Connecticut needs help from the federal government to prevent of fentanyl from coming into the state from other countries such as China.”
-Joseph Avila, “Fatal Drug Overdoses in Connecticut Forecast to Rise 18% in 2017,” The Wall Street Journal online, Aug. 28, 2017 04:53pm