{"id":47851,"date":"2023-10-20T17:30:11","date_gmt":"2023-10-20T21:30:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/?p=47851"},"modified":"2023-10-20T17:30:37","modified_gmt":"2023-10-20T21:30:37","slug":"genesee-orleans-cocaine-use-contributing-factor-in-fatal-cocaine-fentanyl-overdoses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2023\/10\/20\/genesee-orleans-cocaine-use-contributing-factor-in-fatal-cocaine-fentanyl-overdoses\/","title":{"rendered":"GENESEE\/ORLEANS\/Cocaine use contributing factor in fatal cocaine fentanyl overdoses"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Press release<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments (GO Health) have identified a
concerning trend of elevated cocaine use locally that is causing fatal fentanyl overdoses.
Fortunately, these deaths are preventable, and resources are available locally to help.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since 2021, there have been 29 fatal fentanyl overdoses confirmed in Genesee County, and at
least 72% of these deaths have also involved cocaine. (1)
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In some instances, bystanders reported that the person who died of a fentanyl overdose thought they were taking only powder cocaine or crack cocaine. In Orleans County, there were 10 fatal fentanyl overdoses during this same time period, of which 40% involved cocaine.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

GO Health has also identified through wastewater analysis that cocaine consumption is very
high in Batavia and Le Roy compared to other areas nationally. GO Health regularly analyzes
wastewater samples from wastewater treatment plants throughout Genesee and Orleans
Counties for high-risk substances to better understand local patterns in drug consumption and
these trends are compared to upwards of 160 sites nationally by the wastewater epidemiology
company Biobot Analytics. (2)
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In August, the estimated cocaine consumption in Batavia was higher than 94% of other tested sites in the United States, and in LeRoy it was higher than 95% of other tested sites. (2) Substance use is estimated in each sewer shed by taking the amount of the metabolite found in the wastewater and dividing by the size of the population served by the wastewater treatment plant. (2)
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor the last several years, Genesee County\u2019s opioid overdose death rates have surpassed the
state\u2019s average, and been higher than neighboring counties too,\u201d stated Paul Pettit, the Public
Health Director for GO Health. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUnfortunately, what we are seeing here are indications of a relatively high amount of cocaine use locally, and when that cocaine is contaminated with fentanyl, it is causing preventable overdoses and deaths,\u201d Pettit explained.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that can be prescribed by physicians to treat patients\u2019 severe pain that is not responsive to other medications, such as in cases of advanced-stage cancer. (3)
Because it is 50 times stronger than heroin, illegally made fentanyl has largely replaced heroin and other opioids in the U.S. drug supply and is commonly mixed with other drugs like cocaine and methamphetamine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (3)
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many people who use street drugs like cocaine or counterfeit pills are unaware that what they are taking may contain a lethal dose of fentanyl. (3)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Individuals who are aware of the risks of fentanyl overdose when using cocaine are empowered to make safer choices that could save their life or the life of a loved one, and a number of resources are available:<\/p>\n\n\n\n