By Nick Glunt
The Akron Beacon Journal
AKRON, Ohio — From January to June, Akron paramedics responded to about 320 drug overdose calls.
In the three weeks between July 5 and July 26, paramedics logged 236.
The dramatic spike, from two or fewer per day to 11 or more, is thought to be the result of the introduction of carfentanil to the Akron drug market. The heroin-like drug is so potent it’s used to sedate elephants in zoos.
“Without toxicology reports, it’s hard to know for sure,” Lt. Rick Edwards said, “but it’s looking like this is because of carfentanil.”
So far this year, 63 people have died of drug overdoses in Akron. Twenty of the deaths can be attributed to the ongoing spike.
“And it’s not just Akron,” Edwards said.
Suburbs of Akron have been begun reporting spikes in drug overdoses, and even cities as far as Cincinnati and Columbus have contacted Akron police to report similar trends.
Edwards said police have made some arrests, but nothing concrete. Charges have included drug possession and low-level trafficking.
One of the major issues with carfentanil, aside from the lethality, is that it requires many more doses of naloxone -- an opioid antidote -- to revive people who are overdosing. Heroin typically takes just one dose, while the more powerful synthetic painkiller fentanyl takes three or four.
Carfentanil is much more resistant to naloxone, also known by its trade name Narcan, Edwards said. “It takes six or seven doses.”
Copyright 2016 the Akron Beacon Journal