In 2017, Three In Stoneham Have Died from Opioids

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health released updated 2016 figures for opioid-related deaths Wednesday and Stoneham police chief Jim McIntyre provided more specifics on the eight 2016 deaths in his town along with an update on 2017.

So far in 2017, there have been three deaths attributed to drugs, two white males and one white female. The men were 30 and 42 years old, the woman was 29. In two of the three deaths, heroin was the suspected drug. Fentanyl was identified in the third death. Comparing this time period to 2016, there was a 18% decrease in drug-related events a sign "we're moving in the right direction" according to McIntyre.

Regarding the eight deaths in 2016, there was a common thread. "In seven of the eight deaths, fentanyl was a factor," said McIntyre. Including all overdose cases in 2016, there were 31 males, 13 females, with an average age of 30.7. Of the 44 cases, 32 involved heroin. The oldest drug issue involved a 50-year-old white male. The youngest involved an 18-year-old male.

In the first three months of 2017, the Department of Public Health recorded 172 confirmed cases of opioid overdose deaths and estimated an additional 242 to 307 deaths stemming from opioids. Public Health Commissioner Monica Bharel said that the number opioid deaths in the first quarter of 2017 appears to be "about the same" as the same period one year ago, while cautioning that it is "difficult to say quarter to quarter what's happening."

Mass Dept. of Public Health Updates State Opioid Numbers