Heroin overdoses are claiming at least one life a day in Maine, and police are struggling to stem the alarming death rate, due in part to the emergence of fentanyl, a highly potent painkiller.
Deaths from heroin have skyrocketed across the state in the last few years, more than quadrupling since 2014 when 57 people died from overdoses. That figure rose to 108 in 2015, and while the official numbers on 2016 overdoses in Maine have not yet been released, the number is expected to experience another disturbing jump. The latest statistics offered by the state Attorney General counted 286 heroin fatalities through Sept. 30. Officials attribute much of the spike to the ever growing prevalence of fentanyl, a painkiller 50 to 100 times more powerful than morphine, cut into heroin batches, reports WLBZ.
The epidemic is swamping police in Maine with emergency calls, where in many cases the officer must revive people with the overdose reversal drug Narcan. Veteran officers on the force say the situation is worse than anything they have seen in their career.
“It just tells us that we’re not working hard enough in the prevention world, we are not working hard enough as a society on the treatment front,” Portland Police Chief Michael Sauschuck told WLBZ. “You can’t even wrap your head around the frequency that’s happening.”
All Portland officers are now trained in the emergency use of Narcan, which is inserted into the nostril of someone who has overdosed to revive them. Sauschuck says the epidemic is wreaking havoc in communities but is also having a devastating impact on first responders. Some officers are reportedly suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to their many interactions with addicts.
“We just don’t know what kind of situation we’re going to run into,” Sauschuck told WLBZ. “So, it’s very important that not only does the individual, not only are they aware of the impacts that this can have on you, but that everyone else that’s part of the family, part of the team is aware of those signs and symptoms as well.”
Heroin overdose are ravaging states across the country and risks to police officers are increasing due to fentanyl and carfentanil, an elephant tranquilizer approximately 10,000 times stronger than morphine. The presence of the deadly substance is causing a new problem for police conducting drug raids. In the chaos of a major drug bust, heroin powder can go airborne, poisoning officers exposed. Police in many parts of the country are now cautioned to avoid field-testing due to the risk of exposure to carfentanil or fentanyl.
Heroin deaths contributed to the first drop in U.S. life expectancy since 1993 and eclipsed deaths from motor vehicle accidents in 2015. The substance accounts for roughly 63 percent of drug fatalities, which claimed 52,404 lives in the U.S. in 2015.
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