Florida Drug Deaths Spike 52% as U.S. Fentanyl Crisis Continues
By Space Coast Daily // January 19, 2023
As the fentanyl crisis continues in the USA, reports have made for worrying reading in Florida and along the Space Coast, with drug deaths in the state having climbed 52% over the last few years.
It is another alarming statistic as Florida continues its battle with drug problems. In recent months alone, there have been a number of deadly drug overdoses, while in neighbouring Volusia County, the healthcare system has been racing to treat a wave of overdose cases due to tainted street drugs.
That’s amidst various reports of dealers and traffickers being arrested right across the country, with the largest ever indictment occurring just days ago in the Southern District of Georgia.
It’s a problem that is happening all over the States. At detox centers in Tucson, Arizona, there’s been a large rise in patients suffering from addiction to opioids, while also having one of the largest overdose death rates in the country, only just ahead of Florida, which has a 35% overdose death rate.
And in Florida, that number is only rising, moving from 22 deaths per 100,000 to 34 per 100,000, six above the USA average.
According to Stacey Cook, a professional within the mental health and addiction space, the main reasons as to why there has been such a large increase in drug usage is down to the uncertainty in the country, and indeed world, as well as increased anxiety, loneliness and depression, with people turning to substances ahead of treatment.
She said, “We are seeing more people get in trouble with alcohol, especially women. With methamphetamines and opioids being laced with unknown substances, people have no idea what is in them, which is increasing the overdose rate.”
Scott Burgess, another expert within the industry added, “Indeed, this (report) is further verification of what we have been seeing in Florida and in our local community.”
That’s occurring across every county in Florida and beyond, with the Space Coast no exception.
The report is something that is going to have to be addressed in the coming months, across each county, if Florida is going to enter a period of decline when it comes to drug usage and overdoses, otherwise the crisis is going to hit new heights and cause even more health problems for its residents, and an even bigger strain on healthcare within it.
