Eugene Police have reported a spike in drug overdoses starting July 22. Fentanyl was used in some cases.
During a seven-hour period, police responded to five severe overdoses. Officers administered Narcan, an anti-overdose drug, and no fatalities were recorded.
A common source cannot be located, and there is no geographical relationship between the cases. But some victims said they smoked powdered fentanyl.
Jason Davis of Lane County Public Health said overdose spikes are occurring more often as fentanyl becomes increasingly accessible.
“We're not looking at a college problem, we're not looking at one demographic. The ages and the other demographic characteristics that we're seeing in these cases lead us to believe this is community wide.”
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that can be ingested as a pill, powder, or laced into other drugs. To combat it, the HIV Alliance is offering Narcan to the public for free.
Nathan Wilk, KLCC News.
