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Health officials in Connecticut have issued a warning about the marijuana mix gives with fentanyl , which is causing a series of drug overdoses across the state.
Since July, they have reported 39 overdose of doses that required the use of naloxone for resuscitation of those affected .
In each case, the person involved said that they had only smoked marijuana , but officials said had opioid symptoms .
In October it was reported by state health authorities that a cluster of cases had been reported in Plymouth, although authorities say incidents of overdose from marijuana menzcalda with fentanyl have spread throughout the state.
A laboratory test of some of the marijuana used in one of the Plymouth cases confirmed the presence of fentanyl, a potent and potentially fatal opioid .
“This is the first laboratory confirmed case of marijuana with fentanyl in Connecticut and possibly the first confirmed case in the United States”, said the Dr. Manisha Juthani , Commissioner of the Department of Public Health.
The warning occurs in middle of the news that approximately 100, 000 Americans died from drug overdoses in one year, a figure that authorities say is related to the coronavirus pandemic and a supply of narcotics which is more dangerous.
Overdose deaths have accelerated in the last two years, rising by almost a 30% in the last year, according to data published this week. The main drivers, experts believe, are the coronavirus pandemic and the increasing prevalence of deadly fentanyl in the illicit drug supply.
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