Every day, more than 115 Americans die after overdosing on opioids. Opioids are a classification of drugs that include prescription pain relievers, heroin, and synthetic drugs like fentanyl. The misuse of these drugs has become an epidemic across the country, and in the state of Maryland, in 2016, 2,089 overdose deaths occurred – with 1,119 of those deaths being related to the opioid drug fentanyl. As a declared public health crisis – what’s being done to combat and address the proliferation of and addiction to opioids?
Guests on this who include:
Darrell Hodge, Peer Recovery Specialist, REACH
Dr. Leana Wen, Baltimore City Health Commissioner
Emily Keller, Hagerstown City Councilwoman