'One pill can kill you': Georgia health officials warn of spike in drug overdoses
ATLANTA, Ga - Georgia health officials are warning about a spike in drug overdoses. They say a major contributor is drugs laced with fentanyl. Health officials say it's cheap to produce, easy to get, very potent and very dangerous.
"Fentanyl has been increasing in the drug supply over several years and it's hit an epidemic level right now," said Dr. Laura Edison with the Georgia Department of Public Health.
It's a dangerous, and sometimes deadly combination. Georgia health officials say fentanyl has infiltrated street drugs.
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"More and more drugs are being mixed with fentanyl, in particular pressed pills, pills made to look often times like prescription pills," said Edison.
Last fall, the D.E.A. ramped up efforts to get fentanyl-laced pills off the streets of Atlanta.
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In one day they seized 9,000 pills.
Just a few days ago, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office teamed up and made a major bust.
Among the drugs, a quarter kilogram of fentanyl they said that equals more than 100,000 deadly doses.
"People need to know that street drugs are very dangerous right now," said Edison.
Georgia health officials say while there are those who seek out fentanyl for the high, many people don't even know what they're taking. There's no way of knowing if a drug has been mixed with fentanyl because it can't be detected by sight or smell. If there is fentanyl pressed into a pill, there's no way of telling how much has been added.
"The important thing to know if one pill can kill you," said Edison.
Edison says if you see someone who you suspect is having an overdose, call 911 immediately. There will be no repercussions because of the medical amnesty law.
Some states have test strips that can detect fentanyl, state health officials say they're working on making those available in Georgia.