Fentanyl Kills 709 People in 2021

COLORADO BECOMES STATE WITH THE SECOND GREATEST INCREASE OF DEATHS

Newsroom El Comercio de Colorado

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A mixture of fentanyl and cocaine is suspected to have instantly killed five people, including three Hispanics, at a party in Commerce City. According to prosecutor Brian Mason, three of the victims so far identified were young adults. They are Karina Rodríguez, 29 years old; Sam Marquez, 32; and Humberto Arroyo, 24. Authorities did not release the names of two other women killed during the party.

The authorities indicated that the five adults literally fell dead in the place where they consumed the drugs. “These drugs that they took are terrifying. They are dangerous,” explained prosecutor Mason of the 17th Judicial District of Colorado. Meanwhile, Commerce City Police Chief Clint Nichols indicated, “It all happened very quickly, almost instantly. All of them felt so bad they couldn’t even get up to call 911.”

Prosecutor Mason reported that they continue to investigate clues to determine who would have supplied the drugs consumed. “There are other people out there who may have the same drugs or may have bought drugs from the same dealer. We are going to have more deaths. It will be terrible for public health and it will be a public safety crisis,” the official said.

CDC Data

In Colorado, the number of fentanyl deaths is rising faster than in every state except Alaska. In the year 2021 alone, fentanyl killed 709 people. If this figure is compared with the number of deaths in 2019, an increase of 382 percent can be observed. Since 2019, fentanyl deaths in the United States have doubled. Meanwhile, fentanyl deaths in Colorado increased nearly fivefold in the same period.

 

The data is part of a report by Families Against Fentanyl (FAF) using data from the Center for Disease Control (CDC). “The fentanyl crisis is getting worse. Illicit pills with lethal amounts of fentanyl are showing up everywhere. Consuming a single pill of the fake version of Xanax or Percocets can cause death. They mix fentanyl with cocaine and ecstasy,” said James Rauh, founder of FAF.

Fight Fentanyl

“It is time to attack fentanyl overdoses with the same vigor and focus that we do with the coronavirus. It is heartbreaking to treat babies who have been exposed to this deadly poison or people who had no idea their pills or powder were contaminated,” said Dr. Roneet Lev, an emergency room physician and former medical director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy of the White House Drug Enforcement.

Lev added, “Fentanyl overdose treatment is an attempt to resuscitate someone. As an ER doctor I do my best, but unfortunately, we are not always successful. Fentanyl suppliers are taking advantage of the vulnerable in our society.” Rauh continued, “Fentanyl poisoning is tearing families apart at an alarming rate.”