King County Sheriff Mitzi Johanknecht shows an image of a common fentanyl pill that has been found throughout King County. (Aaron Granillo, KIRO Radio)
Fentanyl has been a driving force behind deadly overdoses in Washington state for years, and by 2020, this was never more evident.
The context of fentanyl overdoses in Washington state
In the second quarter of 2020, there were 171 overdoses involved in fentanyl, according to data cited by Caleb Banta-Green, a researcher at the Institute for Alcohol and Drug Abuse (ADAI) at the University of Washington.
During the same period in 2019, Washington saw only 63 overdoses of fentanyl; two years earlier, there were 18.
This makes a trend that Banta-Green describes as “awesome”.
“We’re at the end of a wave that’s being built across the country, so we’ve gone from a low point to a fast point quickly,” he told UW Medicine in a recent Questions and Answers.
Fentanyl is usually found in counterfeit pills that look like prescription opiates like oxycodone. The risk comes from the fact that fentanyl is 30 to 50 times stronger than pure heroin and that a dose the size of some grains of salt can be fatal.
As Banta-Green is proposed, in 2013 it began to extend prominently along the east and midwest coast, before gradually traversing the United States to the west coast. As for whether the notable 2020 increase could have been driven by the pandemic, he believes there could be a correlation.
“We know that a person is more likely to die from an overdose if they are alone. Last year everyone had more time alone,” he noted. “It is a reasonable theory that overdoses would jump with a drug with a high supply. mixed with the continuing pressures of the social determinants of health and, in addition, the isolation and stress of a pandemic. “
“What’s interesting, though, is that we didn’t see the same sharp increase with heroin and pharmaceutical opioids, just fentanyl. We don’t know why,” he added.
In the coming months, Banta-Green believes Washington has a chance to “better control” the situation, noting that unique statewide intervention methods are being used.
This is driven by ADAI’s “fast, barrier-free access to trial-free care,” educating people on how to recognize fentanyl in counterfeit pills, distribute thousands of naloxone kits that reverse the overdose, and promote treatment of addiction with drugs such as buprenorphine and methadone.
Seattle will fund 700 naloxone kits as part of fentanyl awareness
“Much of our work at ADAI is trying to understand the problem, understand how doctors treat them, and train clinicians across the state in a medication-based approach, including shared, client-centered decision making.” , he stressed.
You can learn more about the work ADAI is doing in Washington state on its website here.