Deadly rash of overdoses in California causes 6 deaths in one week
An outburst of fentanyl-laced opioid deaths has again ripped through an American city.
Painkilling pills sold by dealers and laced with fentanyl -- a drug with a potency 80 to 100 times greater than morphine -- have led to 28 overdoses and six deaths in Sacramento County, California over the past week, including 12 overdoses in two days, according to a report by CNN.
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Many of the overdose victims reportedly thought they were taking Norco, which combines regular pain relievers with narcotic pain relief.
People addicted to opioids often buy painkillers on the street from dealers who are free to mix their drugs with whatever is available to them. Sometimes, people search out drugs with potentially fatal potency. Other times, they are unaware that the pill they're about to take carries a much greater risk of death.
Similar stories can be found across the country: This past January in Buffalo, fentanyl-laced heroin led to 10 overdoses in 24 hours.
But while fentanyl-related overdoses grab headlines for the speed with which the drug kills, general opioid overdoses are a catastrophic problem burning through communities across the country.
About 2.5 million Americans are addicted to opioids in one form or another, according to federal officials, and half a million Americans have died of an opioid-related overdose at some point in the past 15 years.
Opioid overdoses come in two basic forms: a heroin overdose or a painkiller overdose.
Many people addicted to opioids begin taking painkillers prescribed by a doctor and eventually find themselves unable to get through a day without them. Often, they turn to heroin, which is cheaper and more potent.
Earlier this month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released its first-ever guidelines against overprescribing pain medication in the agency's ongoing attempt to curb addiction to opioids.
“The risks will outweigh the benefits for the vast majority of patients," CDC Chairman Tom Frieden said during the rollout of the guidelines.
In February, President Barack Obama proposed a $1.1 billion plan to fight opioid addiction through treatment. The White House's plan is to provide money to states that can use the funds to make treatment more available.
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Colin is Mashable's US & World Reporter. He previously interned at Foreign Policy magazine and The American Prospect. Colin is a graduate from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. When he's not at Mashable, you can most likely find him eating or playing some kind of sport.
