In the past three weeks, there have been nearly 300 overdoses and three deaths from heroin in the Cincinnati area. These are unprecedented numbers and the situation is nothing short of a public health emergency.
Addiction specialists trace this dangerous spike to strong synthetic opiates such as and , an elephant tranquilizer, being mixed with heroin.
According to , an amount of carfentanil smaller than a snowflake can be lethal. Fentanyl can be 50 times stronger than heroin and carfentanil is 100 times more potent than fentanyl. The emergency overdose drug may not be able to save individuals who use this tainted heroin.
Here to discuss the recent spike in overdoses and what?'s being done to keep it under control are Health Commissioner of , Tim Ingram; Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine and Certified Addiction Expert, Dr. Shawn A. Ryan; , who leads the Hamilton County law enforcement officials' ; and Addiction Medicine Physician at and Adjunct Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience at the , Dr. Clifford Cabansag.