COLUMBUS — The coroner in Franklin County has issued a drug abuse warning following the deadly reappearance of an opioid so powerful it’s sometimes used to sedate elephants.
Franklin County Coroner Dr. Anahi Ortiz said Friday that the county had at least three carfentanil-related overdose deaths in January, half as many as in all of 2018, with the last in September.
“Carfentanil has surfaced once more and it is important that our residents are aware of the lethality of the drug. Persons who use illicit or diverted drugs should never use alone, have someone there who can call 911 if needed,” Ortiz said in a written statement.
She also encouraged drug users to carry the anti-overdose medication naloxone, available through Franklin County Public Health and Project DAWN and elsewhere in the county.
Ortiz says the county had not recorded a carfentanil-related overdose death since September.
Ortiz says the drug is “extremely potent” and almost impossible to detect by sight because it’s often mixed with other drugs such as cocaine or heroin.
Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner Dr. Thomas Gilson issued a similar warning Thursday based on an increase in carfentanil seizures in the Cleveland area this year.
Ortiz also announced Friday that there were 44 fatal drug overdoses in January, 19 more than during the same month last year.