In Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, 17 people have overdosed and died in three days, leading some officials in the area to raise awareness of a “bad batch,” according to CBS 58.
Last year, there were roughly 491 fatal overdoses in Milwaukee County, but some cases are pending, according to data from the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner. In 2021, there were 623 overdose deaths, a 19% increase from the year prior.
“We’re seeing an increase in Xylazine as a presence within those fentanyl cases. Last year we identified that in about ten percent of our cases,” said Milwaukee Medical Examiner Sara Schreiber at a press conference yesterday, according to CBS 58.
ALERT! There is an increased risk of a drug overdose in the community. Since Saturday, Milwaukee County has had 17 suspected overdose deaths.
Narcan and fentanyl test strips are available at the Lake Area Club and Narcan is also available at the Alano Club of Waukesha. pic.twitter.com/p1bFWDTQs9
— Waukesha County HHS (@WaukeshaCoHHS) April 4, 2023
Milwaukee is part of a national trend of increasing overdose deaths. There was a 16% increase in overdose deaths from 2020 to 2021, according to data from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
There were 106,699 overdose deaths nationally in 2021, a 104% increase from 2015, according to NCHS and CDC data. The rise in overdose deaths has pushed the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve over-the-counter Narcan, which is a drug used to reduce overdose deaths, according to a press release by the FDA.
“The FDA remains committed to addressing the evolving complexities of the overdose crisis,” said FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf, M.D. “As part of this work, the agency has used its regulatory authority to facilitate greater access to naloxone by encouraging the development of and approving an over-the-counter naloxone product to address the dire public health need,” he continued.
John Chisholm is the district attorney for Milwaukee County. Chisholm has leaned heavily into deferred prosecutions, which diverts certain offenders away from the criminal justice system and into rehabilitative programs.
One family blames deferred prosecution for the death of their granddaughter, claiming that granddaughter, Cassandra Lutz would still be alive if her drug dealer remained in jail, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
“If [Schroeder] would have been in jail the way he should have been, this would not have happened,” said Bob Lutz about the death of his granddaughter. Schroeder was the man who injected Cassandra Lutz with a fatal injection of heroin.
George Soros, the billionaire behind Open Society Network and funding many progressive District Attorneys across the nation, donated $21,000 to Chisholm’s campaign in 2016, according to documents retrieved from the Federal Election Committee. (RELATED: Crime Has Risen Under The Watch Of Soros-Backed Prosecutors In Six Major Cities)
Milwaukee County Government, the Department of Health and Human Services and John Chisholm’s office did not immediately respond to Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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