Fentanyl Death Toll Climbs To 7 In Sacramento
The potent and lethal synthetic drug is 50 times more powerful than heroin and has been creeping into California's supply of street drugs in the past several months.
The Associated Press:
7 Dead, 21 Sick After Taking Street Painkillers
Northern California health officials say two more people have died in the last week after taking street drugs believed to contain a powerful painkiller, raising the total to seven. Sacramento County health officials say 21 other people have been sent to hospitals since March 24 after likely taking tablets or capsules containing fentanyl. (3/31)
The San Francisco Chronicle:
7th Death In Sacramento County Linked To Painkiller Overdose
In the new Sacramento County outbreak, fentanyl was found in fake Norco pills. Norco is a common prescription painkiller that contains hydrocodone and acetaminophen, but tests on tablets that were found on people who had overdosed showed neither of those drugs — just fentanyl. The first Sacramento overdoses were reported March 24, and the most recent patient was treated Thursday at UC Davis Medical Center, which has seen 17 cases. In one 48-hour period last weekend, 12 people suffered overdoses after ingesting tablets they’d purchased on the street or received from friends. (Allday, 3/31)