Rural Florida county shocked by fentanyl deaths over holiday

KIFI

Published July 6, 2022 3:51 PM

By BRENDAN FARRINGTON
Associated Press

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A small, rural county just west of Florida’s capital is stunned by an unheard-of spike in deadly drug overdoses believed to be caused by fentanyl mixed with other illegal drugs. It’s a sign that the national problem is becoming even more far-reaching. Over the holiday weekend, nine people died and another nine treated for suspected fentanyl overdoes. Gadsden County Sheriff Morris Young on Wednesday said in all of 2021, the county had 10 overdoses. He couldn’t recall any being fatal. The state even previously rejected a grant application to treat fentanyl overdoes because the county couldn’t identify cases involving the powerful synthetic opioid.

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