Opioid Epidemic: How Hard has Lynnfield Been Hit?

LYNNFIELD, 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 has been one opioid-related overdose deaths in Lynnfield during that time span. Comparatively, Lynnfield has been largely been spared compared to nearby Lynn, which saw 38 deaths in 2014 and Saugus which saw nine deaths in 2012.

From the year 2000-2014, Essex County has seen 1,120 opioid-related deaths, 182 of which were recorded in 2014 alone.

Essex County has had the fourth-most opioid-related deaths out of any county in the Commonwealth between 2000 and 2014, trailing Middlesex, Suffolk, and Bristol counties.

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.