Everyone knows of someone, whether it be a friend or family member, who has experienced problems as a result of heroin. It affects everybody, one way or another.
The City of Harrison and our surrounding communities are unfortunately not immune to the increasing “opiate epidemic.”
Unintentional drug poisoning has become the leading cause of injury death in Ohio, since 2007, surpassing motor vehicle crashes. Fatal overdoses, especially from non-medical use of prescription drugs, has surged over the past decade. Ohio's death rate, due to these prescription drug overdoses, has increased 366% since 2000. In Ohio, there were 411 fatal unintentional drug overdoses in 2000 growing to 1,914 deaths in 2012. An average of five people each day die due to drug overdoses in Ohio (Ohio Department of Health).
Reports are naming fentanyl the new silent killer, addictive and lethal, stalking Ohioans and killing them in massive numbers. Fentanyl, a synthetic, highly addictive opiate 50 times more potent than heroin, is contributing to yet another record year for drug deaths.