Opioid Epidemic: How Hard Has Brookline Been Hit?

By JOE LIPOVICH (Patch Staff)

BROOKLINE, MA—The opioid epidemic has taken the state by storm, and legislators on both the local and state levels have been taking action to fight back against the disease of addiction.

According to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health's most recent data which accounts for opioid-related overdose deaths from Jan. 2012 to Dec. 2014, there were two opioid-related overdose deaths in Brookline during that time span. The number of deaths by year are zero in 2012, one in 2013 and one in 2014.

From the year 2000-2014, Norfolk County has seen 830 opioid-related deaths, 121 of which were recorded in 2014 alone. To put that in perspective, the year with the next-highest number of confirmed deaths was 2013 with 81, and in 2000 that number was 24.

Norfolk County is sixth among the Commonwealth's 14 counties in the number of confirmed opioid deaths from 2000-2014.

On March 14, Governor Charlie Baker inked an opioid abuse prevention bill into law that helps prevent potential addiction before it begins, as well as establish limits on painkiller prescriptions. Baker also added that more legislation is on the way for Massachusetts.