EDITORIAL

Remaining vigilant

Posted 9/6/16

Most Rhode Islanders know that in recent years, our state has become a significant front in the nation's ongoing opioid epidemic. The story of how we got to this crisis point is now all too familiar. As powerful prescription painkillers increasingly

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EDITORIAL

Remaining vigilant

Posted

Most Rhode Islanders know that in recent years, our state has become a significant front in the nation’s ongoing opioid epidemic.

The story of how we got to this crisis point is now all too familiar. As powerful prescription painkillers increasingly found their way into household medicine cabinets and the wider marketplace, their abuse grew. Heroin’s resurgence then brought a cheaper, more accessible alternative for those who have fallen into addiction.

The Ocean State has been among the hardest hit, with high rates of abuse and overdoses. Last year, 258 people died as a result of overdoses. To date in 2016, 150 lives have been lost.

Even more alarming than those figures is the increasing involvement of fentanyl, a synthetic substance that drug dealers use to cut heroin and cocaine. It is approximately 100 times more powerful than morphine. Users are often unaware of fentanyl’s presence in the drugs they purchase – and the results can be devastating.

Fentanyl was involved in approximately 70, 61, and 67 percent of overdose deaths in April, May, and June of this year, respectively, according to figures released by the state Department of Health last week. That is a major increase from 2015, when fentanyl was involved in roughly 47 percent of the 258 overdose fatalities.

“Fentanyl is 30 to 50 times more lethal than heroin,” Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott, director of the health department, said through a statement. “Fentanyl kills and it kills quickly, often only moments after someone has snorted or injected a quantity the size of the head of a match.”

What’s more, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently issued a warning regarding a recent influx of counterfeit fentanyl-laced pills into the marketplace, as well as the growing use of carfentanil, an even more potent form of fentanyl.

Rhode Island has taken important steps to fight back.

Gov. Gina Raimondo created the Overdose Prevention and Intervention Task Force to help put addicts on the road to recovery, and funding has been directed toward establishing medication-assisted substance abuse treatment in the state’s prison system.

Law enforcement has helped work to get unused and unwanted prescription medication out of homes, and efforts have been made to more closely monitor the flow of painkillers from medical facilities and pharmacies into our communities.

Naloxone, or Narcan, which reverses the effects of an overdose and saves lives, has become increasingly available to public safety personnel and others on the front lines. It can be obtained at pharmacies without a prescription, and many pharmacists will provide free training on its use.

It is clear, however that the evolving nature of this crisis will continue to pose immense challenges. Fentanyl overdoses, for example, over require much higher amounts of naloxone to counter than those resulting from heroin or other painkillers – sometimes three or four doses. Those engaged in the drug trade will continue to utilize highly dangerous synthetic substances as they seek to maximize profits.

We applaud state leaders for the steps already taken to address this crisis, and call for continued vigilance on the part of all Rhode Islanders. This problem has cut across demographic and geographic lines, and in such a small, closely-knit state, that means it has touched many of our lives in some way. For the sake of our neighbors, our children, and the most vulnerable among us, we must continue the fight.

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