Illicit fentanyl was involved in 81% of overdose deaths in Ohio in 2020, often in drug combinations. That same year, fentanyl-related deaths increased by 32%.
Between May and September 2022, the DEA and its law enforcement partners seized enough in Ohio to provide 4.7 MILLION deadly doses (Justice.gov, 2022).
“Across the country and particularly here, in Northern Ohio, we have witnessed, firsthand, the proliferation of fentanyl and the devastating effects it has had on our neighbors and loved ones,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Michelle M. Baeppler. “Fighting back against drug traffickers who flood our streets with this deadly narcotic – particularly in pill form – is an enduring and relentless battle, but we must continue to fight” (Justice.gov, 2022).
The CDC tracked a record 107,622 overdose deaths in the U.S. in 2021 — 71,238 of them were due to manmade, illegal fentanyl substances (Ohio Capital Journal, 2023).
"Broken Chains Ministry and Lydia’s Home remain committed to fighting this societal issue with faith-centered Restorative Justice principles for recovery and relapse prevention," said executive director, Dennis Shawhan.
Republican Reps. Morgan Griffith of Virginia and Bob Latta of Ohio have reintroduced a measure called HALT Fentanyl Act. And, a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers, including Democratic Reps. Joe Neguse of Colorado and Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania and Republican Reps. Darrell Issa and Ken Calvart of California launched the Fentanyl Prevention Caucus (Ohio Capital Journal, 2023).
Stigmatization of users, unintended consequences of criminal penalties, and a lack of communication across systems all hamper clear data collection. The group plans to tackle education, and destigmatizing Naloxone (Ohio Capital Journal, 2023).
“Fentanyl has led to a devastating spike in the already alarming rate of overdoses ravaging every corner of our nation — it is crucial that we commit ourselves to a bipartisan effort to combat fentanyl-related overdoses and drug poisoning,” Congresswoman Dean said (Neguse.house.gov, 2023).