by Bethany Blankley
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody and law enforcement officials are sounding the alarm over opioid deaths occurring in the Florida panhandle.
According to newly published data, the panhandle has the highest per capita opioid death rate in the state.
The findings are part of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s newly released 2022 Florida Medical Examiners Interim Drugs Identified in Deceased Persons report. It found that the per capita opioid death rate in four counties, Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa and Walton, was double the state’s average rate.
“The national opioid crisis, bolstered by deadly fentanyl from Mexico and China, continues to claim lives in Florida – with the Pensacola Medical Examiner District being hit the hardest on a per capita basis,” Moody said. She joined law enforcement leaders on Wednesday “to urge everyone to never use illicit substances.”
The report found that the state average per capita opioid-related death rate is 21 deaths per 100,000 residents. By comparison, the Pensacola Medical Examiner District’s is 42. Of the 349 opioid-related deaths in this district, which include the four panhandle counties, 60% involved fentanyl.
The district ranks first in per capita opioid-related deaths and second behind the Daytona Beach District for fentanyl deaths per capita.
“The opioid epidemic has hit every community in our country,” Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons said. “We have been working tirelessly to create a plan of attack to address this deadly substance head-on. This plan combines a robust enforcement strategy and a partnership with our public health colleagues … [to] disrupt the illicit supply chain while working with public health to provide services to those vulnerable to opioid effects.”
The report identifies general statewide trends from January to June 2022 and makes comparisons to January to June 2021 data.
It notes that opioids were identified “as either the cause of death or merely present in the decedent.” And while fentanyl is a prescription drug, data indicates that at least 86.8% of fentanyl occurrences were illicitly obtained.
The most frequently occurring drugs found in decedents were fentanyl, ethyl alcohol, cocaine, benzodiazepines, cannabinoids, methamphetamine and amphetamine, according to the report. Drugs that caused the most deaths were fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine, ethyl alcohol, benzodiazepines, amphetamine, fentanyl analogs and oxycodone.
“We are seeing record numbers of overdoses related mainly to fentanyl that is flowing from our Southern border and being distributed throughout our communities,” Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden said. “We are experiencing cross-contamination of other illicit drugs such as methamphetamine and marijuana causing overdoses associated with those drugs as well. This is truly a national crisis affecting every community in Florida.”
Moody and law enforcement leaders are “encouraging anyone struggling with addiction to seek help immediately.”
State resources can be found at DoseOfRealityFL.com. Those struggling with addiction can find specific treatment options by zip code at TreatmentAtlas.org.
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Bethany Blankley is a contributor to The Center Square.
