Numbers show the country is dealing with an unprecedented drug overdose crisis and now a new government report finds the powerful opioid Fentanyl is the biggest killer.
New CDC research shows Fentanyl is now the most common drug involved in drug overdose deaths in the United States.
Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith is a former special agent with the DEA, and says Fentanyl is 50 times more lethal than heroin.
"It's very dangerous, I can't express how dangerous it is," said Sheriff Smith. "Fentanyl is used in addition to heroin to give a bigger high. Fentanyl was an animal tranquilizer. Most Fentanyl in the United States comes from China.”
An officer in Ohio nearly died recently from exposure. East Texas officers are trained to recognize it, and protect themselves.
“They use latex gloves and maybe something to keep you from breathing it in to combat that," Sheriff Smith said. "All of our patrol deputies are equipped with Narcan kits.”
The study looked at death certificates of people who overdosed from 2011 to 2016 and found a 54% increase in drug overdose deaths. Overall, more than 63,000 people died of drug overdoses in 2016. Many of those overdoses often involve more than one drug.
Sheriff smith said they are collaborating with UT Health East Texas to implement a program called Hope not Handcuffs to get ahead of the crisis.
“We’re trying to get to those individuals who have the habit out here who have not been arrested that want help," Sheriff Smith said. "They would come in to the Sheriff’s office or come in to the police department and say 'Hey, I'm an addict, I need help,' and we would have what we call 'angels,' which are volunteers with a packet there to get them treatment for substance abuse if they have insurance. If they don't have insurance we can find facilities that can treat those individuals at no cost.”
He said exposure to Fentanyl has killed K9 officers. Arp Police Chief Joe Keegan said thanks to non-profit K9's Of Valor, they now have Narcan kits for their K9 team.
"When we suspect the dog has overdosed, we use this kit to spray this liquid into the dog's nose," he said. "It basically brings them back and counteracts it. Even though it's meant for dogs it can also be used on humans as well. We're starting to see Fentanyl more in East Texas which is important because it can be inhaled, it can be brought in through your skin, there's many ways that someone can be overdosed by it."