Sheriff’s detectives in Martin County say they’re seeing an “alarming spike” in overdoses and overdose deaths. They say victims are buying heroin, cocaine and Xanax and are unknowingly getting fentanyl which may be mixed in with the other drugs.
A clinical therapist at Retreat Behavioral Health, a drug abuse treatment facility in Lake Worth Beach, says fentanyl has a high potency and is extremely dangerous even in very small amounts.
She says sellers add it to drugs such as cocaine or heroin to increase the amount of drugs they have to sell on the street.
She also says the spike in overdoses is attributable in part to the COVID-19 pandemic, because many people are out of work and may be socially isolated and depressed or experiencing anxiety, and have more time on their hands to use drugs.
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