Heroin Epidemic: Ohio Sees Alarming Rates Of Addicts Combining Opioid With Other Dangerous Drugs

Heroin is the most popular drug among addicts in Ohio. The high number of heroin users has alarmed the state's law enforcement officials especially because in many cases, addicts are combining heroin with other dangerous drugs.

Fentanyl Is Scariest And Most Alarming Drug

Heroin is an opioid painkiller that produces a rush of euphoria, warm flushing of the skin, and a dry mouth. Lt. Jeff Orr, president of the Ohio Task Force Commanders Association, said the state's scariest and biggest problem is fentanyl, an opioid that is 30 to 50 times more powerful than heroin, the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette reported.

Officers have obtained lab samples of suspected heroin made entirely with fentanyl. This is highly dangerous given that small amounts of fentanyl laced into heroin can already lead to an overdose, a fact that drug dealers and users are aware of.

In 2014, 502 deaths have occurred in 12 Ohio counties due to fentanyl overdose. This month, Akron had 20 suspected fentanyl overdoses in one day, while Columbus saw 10 suspected fentanyl overdoses within nine hours.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, or DEA, said fentanyl outbreaks were also seen in recent years in California, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. According to DEA special agent John Martin, they believe that the fentanyl they confiscated was manufactured in China, distributed to Mexico, and then shipped to the U.S. via normal drug smuggling routes in the southwest border, CBS News noted.

Combination Of Drugs

Aside from fentanyl, addicts also combine heroin with other drugs like cocaine, Xanax, and Adderall to increase its potency. In Cincinnati, dealers give away capsules of cocaine with heroin. Xanax, a sedative, is used to lessen withdrawal and Adderall, a stimulant, is used by addicts to "pick them up and balance them out," Lancaster Eagle-Gazette further reported.

Officers in Ohio also received reports of heroin users combining the drug with meth, a stimulant. According to some reports, people use meth in exchange for heroin because they are on Vitriol, a drug treatment that prevents the brain from getting high from any opiate drug.

The drug carfentanil, a powerful anesthetic used to sedate large animals like elephants, are being combined with heroin as well, according to CBS News. Carfentanil has chemical similarities with fentanyl, but the former is a hundred times more potent.

Akron Police Lt. Rick Edwards said there have been 91 overdoses and eight deaths due to heroin and carfentanil overdose from July 5 to 14. First responders said they had to use multiple doses of Narcan to save people's lives. Narcan, or Naloxone, is an injection or nasal spray that can reverse an opiate overdose.