Connecticut Opioid Overdose Deaths Skyrocket Again In 2016

Opioid-related overdose deaths continue to skyrocket in Connecticut with the total number at 917 for 2016. It’s at least the fifth year in a row that has seen a large increase in opioid deaths in the state; 2015 had 729 deaths and 2012 saw 357, according to the Office of the State Medical Examiner.

Once again, data shows that opioids are nondiscriminatory when it comes to its victims. The average age of a fatal overdose victim is 42 years old, and 178 victims were less than 30 years old.

The oldest victim was a 73-year-old man who passed away from heroin and alcohol use in a Hartford park. The youngest victim was a 17-year-old Griswold girl who was found overdosed at a New London motel or hotel after ingesting fentanyl and cocaine.

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The municipalities with the greatest number of fatal opioid-related deaths are:

1. Hartford 84
2. New Haven 70
3. Bridgeport 49
4. Waterbury 36
5. New Britain 33
6. Bristol 31
7. Meriden 25
8. New London 25
9. Norwich 19
10. Stratford 19

Related: CT Heroin Epidemic: Interactive Map of Deaths by Town (2015)

• Heroin Killing Connecticut Residents At An Alarming Rate (2014)

Deaths involving the potent synthetic opioid fentanyl saw an enormous 155 percent increase in 2016 with 479 related deaths. That’s nearly as many as heroin-involved deaths, which rose to 504 this past year.

Fentanyl-related deaths were a rarity until recent years. The drug was found in 14 fatal overdoses in 2012 and has steadily increased with 2015 seeing 188 deaths.

Fentanyl is produced by pharmaceutical companies for legitimate pain management, said Julianne Hall an associate professor of medical sciences at the Quinnipiac University Frank H. Netter Md School of Medicine. Pharmaceutical companies go to great lengths to make sure their formulations are very difficult to turn into a street drug. Illegal drug manufactures make it in clandestine labs.

Fentanyl is often used to cut heroin in order to increase its potency, but this year saw a number of cases where the drug was used by itself.

A combination of fentanyl and cocaine was present for 142 deaths in 2016 compared to two deaths in 2012. A mass overdose in New Haven made national headlines during the summer of 2016 after many people ingested pure fentanyl when they thought they were getting cocaine.

Combining opioids with other drugs such as cocaine can potentially increase the risk of overdose.

"The two work on different pathways, but towards the same end," Hall said.

Three people died, and at least 17 had overdosed. Three men were arrested in connection with the incident, and one has been sentenced to seven years in federal prison.

Federal authorities have been aggressively prosecuting suspected drug dealers after an overdose death occurs. Local, state and federal law enforcement works together to investigate who provided a fatal overdose victim with the drugs.

Photo: Fentanyl seized by Derby police. Photo credit: Derby Police Department