By Nick Glunt
Akron Beacon Journal
AKRON, Ohio — On the average day this year, Akron paramedics respond to two or fewer drug overdose calls.
On Tuesday, there were 10.
In total, 17 people overdosed. One of them died: a 44-year-old man.
In every case, paramedics administered the heroin antidote naloxone, also known as Narcan. But in many cases, patients required several doses of naloxone before they were revived — leading police to suspect the drug of choice on Tuesday was something more potent than heroin.
“We’re sure it’s probably fentanyl,” Chief James Nice said.
Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that experts say is similar to heroin but up to 50 times more potent, has been responsible for a dramatic uptick in overdose deaths in Summit County and across the country. The drug even claimed the life of the musician Prince in April.
Despite the danger, fentanyl’s lethality is what makes it desirable to addicts. Officials say drug users seek fentanyl or heroin laced with the drug because it boasts the strongest high. Other times, drug dealers might not tell customers their product contains fentanyl — resulting in overdoses when addicts mistakenly uses the same dose they normally would.
At a press conference on Wednesday, the police chief said he can’t confirm fentanyl was to blame, and he couldn’t be sure all the overdose victims got their drugs from the same batch. But Nice said police are investigating to attempt to confirm the suspicion.
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©2016 the Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio)