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Potent drug blamed for death rise

DAVID N. GOODMAN
Associated Press Writer

January 29. 2007

DETROIT -- There has been a marked increase in drug deaths in the area, county health officials said last week, blaming the problem on the spread of heroin and cocaine laced with the prescription drug fentanyl.

The Wayne County Department of Health and Human Services reported that 542 people died from drugs from Jan. 1 through Dec. 10, 2006. That is up 19 percent from the 457 drug deaths reported for all of 2005.

Of the 2006 deaths, 178 were specifically attributed to fentanyl, 197 to heroin and 204 to cocaine. Because those drugs often are mixed, the numbers don't add up exactly, health department spokeswoman Teresa Blossom said. Comparable figures for 2005 were not immediately available.
Fentanyl is an opiate used legally in anesthesia and for some cancer patients. It is cheaper than heroin and 40 to 100 times more potent than morphine. That makes it an appealing additive for heroin distributors.

It can cause rapid respiratory failure, and some victims are found with needles still in their arms, authorities say.

Officials in cities from Chicago to Philadelphia have reported fentanyl-related deaths.

Many drug abusers take fentanyl without knowing it, Blossom said.

"A powder pretty much looks like a powder," Blossom said. "There were drug users that didn't realize they were using a product that had fentanyl. There were drug dealers that did not realize that they were selling a product laced with fentanyl."

Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano launched a multi-agency working group when drug deaths spiked in May 2006. Its members met this month with White House drug czar John P. Walters.