Heroin and Prescription Drug Related Deaths Surge in Michigan
Opioid-related fatalities rose 14 percent in 2014.
Michigan is seeing an uptick in prescription drug and heroin deaths. Opioid-related fatalities rose by 14 percent in 2014, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services. That’s a year-over-year jump of 210 more people who died from overdose. Spokesperson Jennifer Eisner says prescription drug deaths outpace those who fall victim to heroin.
“According to our data, heroin-related deaths were more than three times higher among men than women and the rate of heroin related deaths were highest among young adults ages 25 to 35.”
Jennifer Eisner, Spokesperson for Michigan’s Department of Health and Human Services
Eisner says, though young men are the affected the most, drug poisoning deaths affect all Michigan communities. She says a task force led by Michigan Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley has put together a list of recommendations to combat opioid and prescription drug overdoses. The state is recommending that pharmacists should be allowed to administer anti-narcotic overdose drugs similarly to pseudo ephedrine.
You can read Michigan’s Prescription Drug and Opioid Abuse Task Force here.
