Florida has the second most estimated deadly drug overdoses, trailing only California, which had a projected fatalities, according to the CDC. Image via Adobe Stock.
A Gulfport man died of a suspected fentanyl overdose on Dec. 1, according to police.
Gulfport Police responded to a house near 52nd Street South and 24th Avenue South.
A 38-year-old man was found unresponsive in his bed by wife and was pronounced dead at the scene.
“The man had used fentanyl the night before and appeared to have suffered an overdose,” GPD said. Gulfport Police Sergeant Tom Woodman said a witness statement indicated fentanyl and heroin appeared to be involved with the overdose.
Fentanyl is a powerful and dangerous synthetic opioid that can be 50 to 100 times more powerful than morphine. Fatal drug overdoses increased during the coronavirus pandemic. The U.S. saw an estimated 100,306 deadly drug overdoses for the 12-month period ending in April 2021, according to data released last month by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. That’s a 28.5% increase from the 78,056 overdose deaths reported nationally for the same time frame a year earlier. There were 70,630 overdose deaths in the U.S. in 2019 (before the COVID pandemic and all its strains), according to the CDC.
The CDC most recent data shows there were 7,892 fatal overdoses estimated in Florida between April 2020 and April 2021. That is a 26.2% increase from the previous 12-month period when 6,256 fatal overdoses were reported.
Florida has the second most estimated deadly drug overdoses, trailing only California, which had a projected fatalities, according to the CDC.
While police have identified the man, The Gabber has opted to withhold his name.
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