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2016-08-18 / Front Page
Officials: Deadly strain of heroin circulating VT
By Tory Jones Bonenfant
toryb@eagletimes.com
SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield Police Department (SPD) and the Vermont Department of Health are warning of a deadly strain of heroin packaged under the name “Game of Thrones” that has already caused at least 10 overdoses in central and northeastern Vermont.
Springfield Police Department Lt. Mark Fountain offered this advice: “Don’t use it.”
“You never know today what is in the package you’re purchasing,” such as who is manufacturing it or where it’s coming from, Fountain said on Wednesday, Aug. 17.
Fountain said that heroin use is a problem “statewide,” and the problem with deadly strains may not necessarily affect the general public, but involves users of the drug.
According to reports from emergency responders over the weekend, at least 10 people have overdosed, taking more than one dose of naloxone (Narcan) to be revived, according to a press release from the Vermont Department of Health (VDOH).
Bags of heroin, possibly laced with fentanyl, and stamped with the insignia “Game of Thrones” appear to be connected with some of the overdoses. Fentanyl is up to 50 times stronger than heroin, “and that much deadlier,” all according to VDOH.
In Springfield, no fatal heroin overdoses have occurred over the last weekend, Fountain said. He concurred that the addition of the fentanyl is problematic to heroin users and can lead to overdoses.
The SPD posted a warning about the “Game of Thrones” packaged heroin on its public Facebook page on Monday, Aug. 15. That post prompted other social media users to post concerns and also to post that the drug is already deadly.
One commenter wrote, “I was unaware of a safe strain of heroin. If this one is dangerous, what is the rest of it?”
Vermont health officials warned street drug users and the general public on Monday about the “especially deadly” strain of heroin that is circulating in several parts of the state, including central Vermont and the northern region known as the Northeast Kingdom.
"If you continue to use street drugs, or know someone who does, we urge you to be aware of the current danger out there," said Vermont Health Commissioner Dr. Harry Chen, in the press release. "We want to prevent deaths from overdose, and have alerted naloxone distribution sites and given some precautionary advice for those people who continue to use."
While naloxone can reverse an overdose, it must be given quickly and followed up with a 911 call for an ambulance, the press release stated. The drug can last longer than naloxone or take more than one dose to help.
The Health Department offered the following advice to what they called “street users” of heroin:
— Do not use alone - have someone with you who can give naloxone and call 9-1-1 to save your life.
— Use only one drug at a time.
— Don't mix heroin with alcohol or benzos (benzodiazepines).
— Test the strength of the drug before using the whole amount.
— Cut the amount that you use at one time.
— Inject less if it feels too strong.
The Health Department is also continuing its work to equip citizens and emergency responders with emergency overdose rescue kits that contain naloxone, according to the press release. The efforts are part of the state health department’s opioid overdose prevention program.
For more information about naloxone and Vermont's opioid overdose prevention program, visit www.healthvermont.gov/adap/treatment/naloxone/.
Reminds me of Woodstock, don't take the brown acid.
ReplyDeletePeople inject crap into their own bodies..
ReplyDeleteWe already have a pretty good public health infrastructure (Paul Ryan's efforts to the contrary notwithstanding). If we do as Portugal did and decriminalize substance use, then take the next step and have the state monopolize the market, we will not have: 1) Drug-profit-driven violence or product adulteration; 2) A profitable gray or black market (would be cheaper to buy it at the state store than to grow it at home or buy it on the street); 3) Employees stealing inventory to sell on the street (their jobs pay better; and 4) Individuals who know they are messed up willing to admit they have a problem because they don't face a DEA SWAT team.
ReplyDeleteChuck: what would be the plan to get people to stop taking heroin and other harmful substances?
ReplyDeleteHe has no plan, just more paranoid, mindless rhetoric; replacing "the opium of the people" with actual opiates. He, like most others of the radical left, view criminals as the victims of society, and not the other way around. Eugene Debs is laughing from the grave.
DeletePhilip Caron, there are already programs in place that educate young people about what they will face when they experiment with drugs, sex, etc. Funding the good ones with the money we save on the DEA SWAT teams alone will be tremendously effective. Funding support programs like N-Anon (for families of users) will also help in prevention.
DeleteAnd, as has been seen in Portugal, simply decriminalizing use caused a drop in teen abuse rates after an initial spike.
This has been attributed to the fact that while they were illegal, kids found them to be a forbidden fruit (just like the apple in the Garden of Eden). Kids were warned, "drugs will fry your brain," and often when they experimented and found their brain wasn't fried, they wondered, "What else did they lie about?" and proceeded to mess around some more. When drug usage was decriminalized and the kids had a chance to find out for themselves, first of all they found out they weren't somebody special, because anybody could sneak a reefer, and second, the Nancy Reagan messages about drugs were no longer operative because, hey, it's not any more criminal than having a beer.
Chuck Gregory, I don't think what you describe is enough. Education is great, but will it actually dissuade people from "experimenting"? Will it prevent people from abusing or getting hooked? Will it get people who already use to quit? Use of heroin and certain other drugs is harmful to users, their families, their communities, and society as a whole. Frankly, I don't believe that decriminalizing will decrease usage, as it's counter to the what information, experience, intuition, and common sense I have. I'm sure there's lots of apolitical literature on the subject, reflecting well-designed studies and rigorous analysis, and it would be nice to absorb all that, or hear from someone with solid credentials who has. Unfortunately, the "legalize drugs" campaigns I've seen, though they quoted statistics, didn't appear to have that wide and solid basis: they sounded like opinions.
DeleteAdministrator: So, are we going to see Clnton political ads as well?
ReplyDeleteIf you had clicked on the title, "Two Americas: Immigrants" you would have seen a Hillaryy spot for balance.
DeleteOops, my mistake! I'm not used to seeing both sides of an issue reported here.
DeletePhilip Caron: The first step in reducing use will be in no longer having people motivated by profit to create addicts. The next step will be to divert the funding formerly used by the DEA and associated entities to fund the programs that are already in place to deal with prevention education and recovery. The local substance abuse education and prevention programs around Vermont do an effective job-- when they are funded. You might want to check around with the Springfield teachers who deal in life skills education, the Springfield Prevention Coalition, and Joe Cerniglia at the discount store to get some idea of what's possible.
ReplyDeleteOur problem is that we cannot free ourselves of the notion that alcohol and tobacco are "better" than the other abused substances. They are not.
Until such time as we understand that we are dealing with one problem and not two, we will continue to be schizophrenically ineffective in dealing with substance abuse.
These Fentanyl Users would make a great opportunity for medical students studying Proctology. The drug I was given during my colonoscopy(s) was Fentanyl. The medical students could get a lot of practice shoving the tools of their trade up the butts of these junkies without the cost of providing anesthesia.
ReplyDeleteTsk. That would just lead to multiple addictions.
DeleteIt only takes a few days to kick dope and be done with it. Where is the "gut" in people these days? How pathetic someone can't endure being sick for a few days to save their own lives? Be done with it. Many people have done this and live beautiful love filled lives today, and would never turn back time. Anyone who has overdosed and died (and brought back to life) will tell you they are still awake and aware of their surroundings while dead. Who wants to continue knowing they killed themselves?
ReplyDeleteDeadly strain? Like telling rats there is a new deadly strain of Decon being put out this fall.
ReplyDelete