The Rhode Island Department of Health reported drug-related deaths are on the rise in the Ocean State, Wednesday. The data released said there were over 326 drug overdose deaths last year compared to the 290 that occurred in 2015. Drug-related deaths have risen 30 percent since 2011.
The new data shows 57 percent of overdose deaths were associated with the synthetic opioid, fentanyl- a ten percent increase from 2015. Fentanyl- related deaths have increased fifteen times over 2009 numbers.
Most recent efforts to battle overdoses include equipping communities and law enforcement agencies with naxolone, an overdose-reversal drug.
Last year, Rhode Island partnered with the American Medical Association in a pilot program tackling the state’s rising opioid abuse. Lawmakers also passed a series of bills that placed stronger restrictions on how doctors prescribe opioids.
Gov. Gina Raimondo addressed the crisis by creating the Overdose Prevention and Intervention Task Force.
