Cincinnati sees estimated 78 heroin overdoses in 2 days
CINCINNATI – Police in Cincinnati are asking for the public’s help in finding the source of the suspected heroin behind an estimated 78 overdoses in two days this week.
Authorities believe the same batch is linked to three recent deaths.
-
Teens who play sports less likely to say they’ve done heroin
-
Ohio officials find powerful anesthetic in some heroin cases
-
Connecticut city warns of ‘tainted’ heroin amid overdose spike
They say there were an estimated 78 overdoses on Tuesday and Wednesday and 174 overdoses in emergency rooms within the past week. Local officials are calling it a public health emergency.
They suspect a drug used to sedate elephants that is 100 times as potent as fentanyl (FEHN’-tuh-nihl) could be behind the surge in overdoses.
County leaders say they’ll seek funding for treatment that would come with expanded response teams.
The state reported Thursday that accidental drug overdoses killed an average of eight people per day in Ohio last year.