Earlier this month, Nevada reached a settlement with Walgreens to accept $258 million in connection with that business’ part in the opioid epidemic.
Drug overdose deaths reached more than 100,000 people nationwide in 2022. And since 1999, nearly 1 million people have died from drug overdoses in this country.
The Walgreens settlement will be used for programs and more, but they’re hardly the end. Less than a year ago, the Southern Nevada Health District issued a public warning: fentanyl deaths are on the rise.
From January 2018 to mid-2022, more than 1,400 people in Clark County had died from fentanyl overdoses. Drug deaths have increased nearly 10-fold from 2015 to 2021. And over a week’s time in September, 6 people died of overdoses, with police suspecting four were directly tied to fentanyl.
Fentanyl is an opioid that’s up to 100 times stronger than oxycodone, heroin or morphine, and is otherwise used in medical settings by professionals. It’s been found that tiny amounts mixed with other illegal street drugs are behind many of those deaths.
Guests: Michelle Romero, mayor, Henderson; Keith Carter, deputy director, Nevada High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area; Ron Schnese, peer recovery support specialist, Foundation for Recovery
