Andy East | The Republic
Drug overdose deaths in Bartholomew County so far this year have kept pace with last year, when fatal overdoses declined 36% to their lowest annual total since 2019.
As of Tuesday morning, there had been 18 overdose deaths in Bartholomew County so far this year, according to figures from the Bartholomew County Coroner’s Office. At the same point last year, there also had been 18 deaths.
Overall, there were 25 overdose deaths in the county last year, down from a record 39 in 2022 and the lowest annual total since 2019, according to the Columbus Police Department’s annual report, which cited county records.
While most overdose deaths involve multiple substances, toxicology tests have found that methamphetamine, fentanyl and their adulterants contributed to many of the deaths this year, officials said.
The updated figures from the Bartholomew County Coroner’s Office were met with optimism from local officials, who speculated that the availability of harm-reduction measures including naloxone may a big reason why overdose deaths continue at a lower pace this year, particularly given that there is “no indication that use of fentanyl has declined” in the community.
Naloxone is a nasal spray that can temporarily reverse an opioid overdose. It is often sold under the brand name Narcan.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is more potent than heroin but is cheaper to produce and distribute. has that has become increasingly being cut with other drugs, including counterfeit pills.
Local officials have said in the past that the drug, which has become increasingly cut with other drugs, including counterfeit pills, was one of the driving forces behind the historic rise in overdose deaths in Bartholomew County from 2020 to 2022 — when 103 people died from overdoses.
“We are still as busy as ever,” said Dr. Kevin Terrell, medical director at Columbus Regional Health’s Treatment and Support Center, or TASC. “Although overdose deaths are down, there’s no indication that use of fentanyl has declined. It is most likely that bystander use of naloxone, not a reduction in fentanyl use, is preventing overdose deaths. Fortunately, naloxone is available for free in a few areas in Bartholomew County, including at TASC.”
TASC, located at 2630 22nd St., provides a range of outpatient treatments for substance use disorders, including medication-assisted treatment.
Since opening its doors in 2019 until this past Sept. 30, TASC has seen 2,382 unique patients, according to figures provided by Amanda Lang, practice manager at TASC. The facility had 431 active patients as of the end of September.
“Fentanyl and methamphetamine are still the most common problem substances we see, but cocaine use has become much more prevalent over the past six months,” Terrell said. “I don’t recall seeing much, if any, cocaine use prior to 2024. Cocaine and methamphetamine are both stimulants and have similar effects on the brain and body, and methamphetamine use greatly outpaces cocaine use, but we have recently had multiple positive tests for cocaine every week.”
“We are also seeing more use of xylazine (Tranq). Xylazine is not approved for use in humans in the United States,” Terrell added. “It is a sedative that is often mixed with fentanyl, causing an increased risk of overdose death. It isn’t reversed with naloxone, because it isn’t an opioid. There’s no test for xylazine that is used in clinical practice, so there’s no accurate measure of its use — however, our patients are sometimes reporting its use.”
National figures
The update from local officials comes a few months after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the number of U.S. fatal overdoses fell last year.
Agency officials noted the data is provisional and could change after more analysis, but that they still expect a drop when the final counts are in, The Associated Press reported. It would be only the second annual decline since the current national drug death epidemic began more than three decades ago.
Experts have reacted cautiously. One described the decline as relatively small, and said it should be thought more as part of a leveling off than a decrease. Another noted that the last time a decline occurred — in 2018 — drug deaths shot up in the years that followed.
It’s also too soon to know what spurred the decline, experts told the AP. Explanations could include shifts in the drug supply, expansion of overdose prevention and addiction treatment, and the grim possibility that the epidemic has killed so many that now there are basically fewer people to die of overdoses.
About 107,500 people died of overdoses in the U.S. last year, including both American citizens and non-citizens who were in the country at the time they died, the CDC estimated. That’s down 3% from 2022, when there were an estimated 111,000 such deaths, the agency said.
The drug overdose epidemic, which has killed more than 1 million people since 1999, has had many ripple effects, according to wire reports. For example, a study published earlier this year in JAMA Psychiatry estimated that more than 321,000 U.S. children lost a parent to a fatal drug overdose from 2011 to 2021.
Locally, 235 people died from drug overdoses in Bartholomew County from Jan. 1, 2015 to this past Oct. 1, according to county records.
Terrell said he is “glad to see that in 2024 the trend of lower overdose deaths” has continued.
“Of course, every death is a tragedy, but I’m thrilled to have been wrong last year, when I was concerned that the lower numbers in 2023 might be an anomaly,” Terrell said. “I’m so glad to see that in 2024 the trend of lower overdose deaths continues. I hope the trend of lower deaths continues into the future.”
