fentanyl overdoses

While adult overdoses surged in the last decades, teens hadn't seen the same kind of death rates. But now fatal overdoses nearly doubled in one year and continued to rise in 2021.

Opioid overdoses have been a major problem in Florida for years. The synthetic opioid fentanyl is even more dangerous. Health workers are trying to distribute overdose kits as widely as they can.

New research released by the CDC found roughly 932,000 fatal overdoses from 1999-2020. Preliminary data show another 100,000 deaths this year.

Rep. Vern Buchanan of Sarasota introduced legislation that would permanently classify fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I drugs.

Officials say the pandemic and dealers who mix fentanyl with other drugs have contributed to the increase in overdose deaths in Florida.

The Biden administration points to fentanyl as the major culprit for the increase in deaths. Officials unveiled a new one-year strategy to reduce the number of fatalities from drug overdoses.

Florida medical examiners have recorded a sharp increase in deaths related to opioid overdoses, especially in South Florida.The Miami Herald reports that…