With the recent news of Prince’s autopsy report, the synthetic opiate drug fentanyl has been at the forefront of discussion. The potent drug has been a problem in Ohio too, and even Auglaize County has felt the effects of fentanyl in recent years.
According to Auglaize County Coroner Dr. Thomas Freytag, fentanyl-related deaths in the county have been on the rise since the beginning of this year.
“It’s getting to be more and more of a problem, even in small counties,” Freytag said. “My general opinion is it’s gone way up and it’s continued to rise.”
Over the past five years, there have been 24 cases of death in the county caused by fentanyl and/or other opiates, namely heroin, Freytag said. Since 2011, there have been a steady number of deaths each year, with three occurring each year between 2011-2014. In 2015, there were four deaths, and just since the beginning of this year, there have already been three in 2016.
See Thursday's paper for the full story.