Abstract
Association of Law Enforcement Seizures of Heroin, Fentanyl, and Carfentanil With Opioid Overdose Deaths in Ohio, 2014-2017
Highlights
The United States continues to experience an unprecedented overdose crisis
Of the 29 917 seizures of heroin identified, 23 175 (77.5%) included weights in grams. The percentage of these containing fentanyl or carfentanil increased from 3.4% in 2014 to 48.6% in 2017
Among 558 cocaine and 753 methamphetamine seizures weighing more than 30 g, less than 0.5% contained fentanyl or carfentanil (Table)
Summary
The United States continues to experience an unprecedented overdose crisis. Fentanyl overdose deaths increased 525% from 3105 in 2013 to 19 413 in 2016 and increased 45.2% from 19 413 in 2016 to 28 466 in 2017, with fentanyl overdose deaths outpacing deaths from both prescription opioids and heroin in 2016 and 2017.1,2 The Drug Enforcement Administration[3] reported a 5-fold increase in national law enforcement seizures of illicitly manufactured fentanyls, and fentanyl overdose deaths increased substantially over this period. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention[4,5] has endorsed using law enforcement drug seizures as a proxy indicator for the illicit drug supply, and a joint investigation between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the state of Ohio[6] demonstrated concurrent increases in fentanyl overdose deaths and fentanyl seizures. Less known is whether there are associations between law enforcement drug seizures and drug overdose deaths.
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