COLUMBUS – Ohio says a record 4,050 people died of drug overdoses in the state last year, driven in large part by the emergence of stronger drugs like the synthetic painkiller fentanyl.
The data released Wednesday mean on average, 11 Ohioans are dying each day by overdosing on pain pills, heroin, fentanyl or other drugs. Overdose deaths rose 33 percent over the 3,050 deaths in 2015.
Compounding the problem is the appearance of drugs like carfentanil, an opioid so powerful it’s used to sedate elephants.
Fentanyl and related drugs were involved in 58.2 percent of the overdose deaths last year, compared with only 3.9 percent 2012.
On an optimistic note, the state says heroin-related deaths are leveling off, and deaths from prescription painkillers fell for the fifth straight year. The prescribing of painkillers also is falling. Officials say that’s an important step to reducing overall addiction rates.
The new two-year state budget includes an additional $170 million to support local and state efforts to combat opioid abuse and overdose deaths.
In his State of the State address, Gov. John Kasich asked the Third Frontier Commission to provide up to $20 million to help bring new scientific breakthroughs to the battle against drug abuse and addiction, a request that was approved in May and the commission is expected to announce the first funded projects in December.
The state health department has been awarded a four-year $6.5 million federal grant to combat prescription drug overdoses and has forwarded funds to 14 counties to improve access to the opiate overdose reversal drug naloxone and for programs like prescriber education and other changes to create safer opioid prescribing practices.
The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services will receive up to $26 million a year during the next two years through the federal 21st Century Cures Act to help support medication-assisted treatment, prevention, screening, recovery and other efforts to help fight the epidemic at the state and local levels.