State Officials Raise Alarm Over Fentanyl; Public Urged to Help Raise Awareness

Concord, NH – Following a recent uptick in fatal overdoses in Manchester and Nashua, Governor Chris Sununu and state officials are issuing new warnings surrounding the dangers of fentanyl making its way into other substances such as cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana across the state.
 
“Fentanyl is deadly and is being mixed with other drugs across the state,” said Governor Chris Sununu. “We urge the public remain aware, vigilant, and cautious – it is an all hands on deck effort to raise awareness for this deadly and concerning trend. We will continue to target our resources at the state level to provide impactful and effective treatment, prevention, and recovery services to those who need them.”
 
Manchester and Nashua have recently shown increases in overdoses. Based on information that the state has, it is primarily due to the readily available access to cheap, potent fentanyl and the mixing of fentanyl with other substances such as cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana. According to the CDC, fentanyl is about 50 times more powerful than heroin, and 100 times stronger than morphine, with just two milligrams being a potentially lethal dose, and they warned that drugs may have deadly levels of fentanyl that can go undetected because individuals would not be able to see it, taste it, or smell it.
 
The DEA adds that criminal drug networks are mass-producing counterfeit pills and are falsely marketing them as prescription pills to deceive consumers. Two out of every five counterfeit pills containing fentanyl that are seized by the DEA have a potentially lethal dose, and these pills are here in our communities, threatening all of our citizens, and especially our children.
 
“Fentanyl is by far the most common drug implicated in overdose deaths in New Hampshire,” said Dr. Jennie Duval, Chief Medical Examiner for the State of New Hampshire. “It is a highly potent opioid drug that may be fatal in very small amounts, alone or in combination with other drugs, medications, or alcohol.  Our investigations often suggest that the decedent may not have even known they were using fentanyl.” 
 
“We continue to see and hear reports from patients that they believed they were not specifically using opioids and were surprised that they overdosed on an opioid,” said Chris Stawasz, Regional Director of American Medical Response. “This is suggestive of following a national trend of Fentanyl now being found in numerous types of illicit street drugs such as Cocaine and Marijuana.”