“The medics are being used so much so we’re at the point where we need to look at putting more medics on the street to handle it because it’s basically overwhelming our system at this time”, said Chief Richard Braun of the Cincinnati Fire Department.
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According to CNN, it only takes a small amount to take a roughly 2,000 pound African elephant down – a mere 2 milligrams will suffice in some cases. It’s hurting people. It’s killing people.
A powerful elephant tranquiliser is being road tested by drug dealers who are adding it to heroin, U.S. authorities fear.
Authorities have said almost 300 overdoses have been reported in the Cincinnati area since August 19, including 174 reports in a six-day period. Communities in West Virginia, Kentucky and in also saw overdose spikes in recent weeks.
Cincinnati firefighters said they sometimes had to use multiple doses – as many as six – of the overdose-reversal drug naloxone to save users during the spike.
Sammarco said some of the batches her offices has tested included traces of carfentanil and fentanyl.
Authorities initially thought that heroin mixed with fentanyl, a synthetic painkiller, was the source linked to overdose deaths there, but lab tests of samples gathered found carfentanil instead, Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien told the newspaper.
According to a press release, officials in Kentucky said they anticipated heroin and other drugs were being laced with fentanyl, an addictive and powerful opioid, and being distributed within the state.
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Almost 300 overdoses have been reported in the Cincinnati area since 19 August, with 174 reported in one six-day period.
