Association of Law Enforcement Seizures of Heroin, Fentanyl, and Carfentanil With Opioid Overdose Deaths in Ohio, 2014-2017
Open Access
- 1 November 2019
- journal article
- letter
- Published by American Medical Association (AMA) in JAMA Network Open
- Vol. 2 (11) , e1914666
Abstract
The United States continues to experience an unprecedented overdose crisis. Fentanyl overdose deaths increased 525% from 3105 in 2013 to 19 413 in 2016 and then increased 45.2% from 19 413 in 2016 to 28 466 in 2017, with fentanyl overdose deaths outpacing deaths from both prescription opioids and heroin in 2016 and 2017.1,2 The Drug Enforcement Administration3 reported a 5-fold increase in national law enforcement seizures of illicitly manufactured fentanyls, and fentanyl overdose deaths increased substantially over this period. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention4,5 has endorsed using law enforcement drug seizures as a proxy indicator for the illicit drug supply, and a joint investigation between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the state of Ohio6 demonstrated concurrent increases in fentanyl overdose deaths and fentanyl seizures. Less known, however, is whether there are associations between law enforcement drug seizures and drug overdose deaths.Keywords
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