Report: Long Island Drug Deaths On The Rise, Concerns Over Fentanyl Use
HAUPPAUGE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork)-- A new report indicates drug deaths on Long Island have gone up.
Opioid overdoses killed 442 people in Nassau and Suffolk counties last year, WCBS 880's Stephanie Colombini reported. That's up from 403 during last year.
The data comes from a Newsday report that says while heroin was the biggest killer, Fentanyl is what has experts most concerned. The drug is sometimes used in a medical setting to induce anesthesia.
But it's as much as 40 times stronger than heroin, so even a small dose can be deadly. Experts say Fentanyl is seeping its way into products sold as heroin on the streets.
It's unclear where the tampering process falls in the drug trafficking chain.
With suburban heroin use exploding, CBS2 has spotlighted the scourge for years, covering the devastation to families and the spawning of a new generation of desperate addicts turned to crime. The death toll is only climbing.
Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano and Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone rolled out a joint task force to combat heroin on Long Island in February.
