Tennessee’s drug crisis has no end in sight, and fentanyl is making it far deadlier

Fentanyl is low-cost and highly potent. On the street, it’s being mixed with drugs like meth and heroin to increase profits, but it’s also made its way into the recreational market disguised as pills. A 22-year-old woman stepped off a plane at Nashville International Airport on a cold January day, hoping to make $1,000.  Her task was simple: Deliver the two suitcases …

Drug overdose deaths in the U.S. have topped 100,000 for the first time

More than 100,000 people died over a 12-month period from fatal drug overdoses for the first time in U.S. history, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. “To all those families who have mourned a loved one and to all those people who are facing addiction or are in recovery: you are in our hearts,” …

Drug Overdose Deaths, Fueled by Fentanyl, Hit Record High in U.S.

Nation records more than 100,000 fatalities over 12 months for first time The U.S. recorded its highest number of drug-overdose deaths in a 12-month period, surpassing 100,000 for the first time in the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There were an estimated 100,306 drug deaths in the 12 months running through …

Overdose Deaths Reached Record High as the Pandemic Spread

More than 100,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in the yearlong period ending in April, government researchers said. Americans died of drug overdoses in record numbers as the pandemic spread across the country, federal researchers reported on Wednesday, the result of lost access to treatment, rising mental health problems and wider availability of dangerously potent street drugs. In the 12-month …

‘A staggering increase’: Yearly overdose deaths top 100,000 for first time

The largest increases were seen in Vermont, West Virginia and Kentucky. Drug overdose deaths in the United States surpassed 100,000 in a 12-month period for the first time, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday, a troubling milestone amid an already devastating period for the country.  The number of overdose deaths rose 29 percent, from 78,056 from April 2019 to …

Americans are overdosing on a drug they don’t know they’re taking

Fueled by the coronavirus pandemic and an increase in fentanyl use, the US drug epidemic exploded while Americans were locked down. From May 2020 through April 2021, more than 100,000 people died from drug overdoses in the US, according to provisional data released Wednesday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s a horrible new record for drug overdose deaths — a near-30% rise …

Overdose training offered by TN state program to combat opioid crisis

The opioid crisis continues to wreak havoc on Tennessee. In response to that, training is being held in Smyrna to teach people how to recognize and react to a drug overdose. According to state data, Rutherford County is ranked fourth when it comes to overdoses in the state. Last year, there were 1507 calls for overdoses in Rutherford County. One hundred and …

Fentanyl Seized, Arrest Made in Execution of Memphis Search Warrant

A joint investigation by special agents with the Drug Investigation Division of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, 25th Judicial Drug Task Force, and Fayette County Sheriff’s Office into the distribution of fentanyl has resulted in the seizure of the deadly drug and the arrest of a Memphis man. Today, as part of an investigation that began in October, TBI agents, the …

Overdoses and Counterfeit Pills on the rise in the Volunteer State

Overdoses and Counterfeit pills are on the rise in the Volunteer State. Early data shows they have increased to an alarming new level, leaving officials on high alert.  “When you are buying a drug on the road involving something like fentanyl, it’s beyond reckless. It’s not a matter of if it’s when,” says Tommy Farmer, TBI Dangerous Drug Task Force …