WASHINGTON — The Metropolitan Police Department responded to 17 overdoses in a three-day period, leaving 10 people dead and seven others requiring medical attention. Police say they've linked the overdoses to a "bad batch" of cocaine mixed with "suspected fentanyl."
Between 10 a.m. Saturday through 6 p.m. Monday there were a series of drug overdoses in the D.C. community. MPD responded to seven medical emergencies related to drug overdoses on Saturday alone, four of which were fatal. Police say that some people were able to walk away after NARCAN (Naloxone) was administered to them.
In total, MPD said 17 medical emergencies were suspected to be narcotic overdoses primarily concentrated in the Trinidad and Ivy City neighborhoods. The ages of those impacted ranges from mid-30s to 60-years-old.
MPD said they are working with the Federal Drug Administration to investigate the sourcing of the drugs in the community.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid and form of medicine that when prescribed is used to treat patients for severe pain typically after surgery, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Additionally, NIH said it can be “used to treat patients with chronic pain who are physically tolerant to other opioids." Fentanyl is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
NIH says that synthetic opioids are the most common drugs that are involved in drug overdoses.
Residents in D.C. are able to access NARCAN (Naloxone) through delivery by texting LiveLongDC to 888-811. There are also areas throughout the district where residents can pick up NARCAN for free. A prescription is not needed in order to pick up and carry NARCAN.
