Lake County sees fentanyl and its analogs take hold

The scene looks peaceful at first glance.  The young couple is cuddled under a blanket on a stormy November Sunday in Painesville.  But a closer look tells a more tragic story.  On the table in front of them is a line of white powder with a straw nearby.  The couple was found dead in their apartment, both of suspected drug overdoses.

Lake County Coroner Mark Komar hands two photos of the scene over to deputy coroner David Keep — literal snapshots of the opioid epidemic.  As Komar hands over the photos the powder on the table has not yet been identified, but Komar has his guess. He notes much of the line of powder is still there. He suspects it’s a designer fentanyl: an analogue of the synthetic opioid increasingly becoming the cause of overdose deaths both in Lake County and Ohio.

In 2016, fentanyl was the leading contributor to drug overdose deaths for the first time in both the county and the state. The synthetic opioid contributed to 70 percent of Lake County’s 2016 overdose deaths and more than 58 percent of the state’s total.

Fentanyl analogues are nothing new to Lake County. Last year, Lake County Crime Lab Chemistry and Toxicology Supervisor Doug Rohde was the first to discover a case of U-47700 in Ohio. The drug was soon found around Ohio and elsewhere—it was one of the drugs that contributed to the death of the musician Prince.

Other fentanyl analogues—furanyl fentanyl, 3-methyl fentanyl and carfentanil—also popped up in Lake County for the first time in 2016. More new analogues have been found this year including acryl fentanyl, despropionyl fentanyl, 4-flubrosolbutryl fentanyl and butyryl fentanyl.  In a Dec. 14 email, Rohde said they’ve identified several new fentanyl analogs in the past month alone.

The crime lab’s summer 2017 newsletter noted that heroin, fentanyl and carfentanil powders all look the same. Some of the samples that have been submitted for analysis have up to four different fentanyl analogs, meaning they have to spend more time separating and identifying all of the individual compounds.

In the newsletter, Rohde said that many opioid victims are not aware that their heroin has been laced with fentanyl. Sometimes the sellers don’t even know, he said. But, he added, there some who seek out fentanyl and its analogs because of the intense euphoric high. Fentanyl is 50 times more powerful than heroin.

Heroin just two years ago was the leading cause of overdose deaths in Lake County, but the coroner’s office is seeing fewer cases. Only four overdose deaths were attributed to heroin without the presence of fentanyl. As of Dec. 28, Lake County has 75 confirmed overdose deaths this year according to the coroner’s office. Of that total 49 deaths were attributed to fentanyl, including 11 involving a combination of fentanyl and heroin.

Rohde said they’ve seen an increase in cocaine and methamphetamine.

While occurrences of methamphetamine are increasing, Sgt. Brad Kemp of the Lake County Narcotics Agency said they’re seeing fewer meth labs. That’s because of meth being imported from Mexico called “Ice” he said.  Kemp said it’s being sold in Lake County, Ashtabula County and Cleveland and it’s cheaper than the meth being cooked in more local labs.

Rohde said they’ve seen a new type of drug trend beginning, synthetic benzodiazepines, which he expects to see more of in 2018.  Benzodiazepines are used medically to treat anxiety and insomnia. Xanax, Ativan and Klonopin are benzodiazepines. In 2016, benzodiazepines were involved in 15 Lake County overdose deaths.

Efforts to help those in recovery and to break the stigma of addiction also continued in the county in 2017.

In January, Clean Start opened a men’s recovery house in Mentor. Friends of Recovery opened a men’s recovery house in Willoughby this summer and is planning a women’s recovery house. Lake-Geauga Recovery Centers has both men’s and women’s recovery homes in the county including Nevaeh Ridge for pregnant women and women with children under the age of 5.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office in September received funding from the Ohio Attorney General’s Office to create a pilot program to help get those struggling with addiction into treatment.  Sheriff’s Capt. Ron Walters told the News-Herald a deputy, police officer or firefighter along with a social worker will come to the home of someone who was revived from an overdose and attempt to get them into treatment. Walters said they will present the person struggling with addiction the different options available to them in the county. Additionally, they will provide literature and support for family members.

Hope Over Heroin drew thousands to the Lake County Fairgrounds in August. The two-day event provided resources and support for those struggling with addiction, honored those who have lost their lives and fought to remove the stigma of addiction.

Cleveland resident Lisa Schiefer, four years clean from heroin addiction, was among the attendees.

“It’s very important to know you have people around you willing to help, to have a support system,” she told the News-Herald. “It’s very important for people to be there for you. You need that. And this is a group of caring, loving people.”

The scene looks peaceful at first glance.  The young couple is cuddled under a blanket on a stormy November Sunday in Painesville.  But a closer look tells a more tragic story.  On the table in front of them is a line of white powder with a straw nearby.  The couple was found dead in their apartment, both of suspected drug overdoses.

Lake County Coroner Mark Komar hands two photos of the scene over to deputy coroner David Keep — literal snapshots of the opioid epidemic.  As Komar hands over the photos the powder on the table has not yet been identified, but Komar has his guess. He notes much of the line of powder is still there. He suspects it’s a designer fentanyl: an analogue of the synthetic opioid increasingly becoming the cause of overdose deaths both in Lake County and Ohio.

In 2016, fentanyl was the leading contributor to drug overdose deaths for the first time in both the county and the state. The synthetic opioid contributed to 70 percent of Lake County’s 2016 overdose deaths and more than 58 percent of the state’s total.

Fentanyl analogues are nothing new to Lake County. Last year, Lake County Crime Lab Chemistry and Toxicology Supervisor Doug Rohde was the first to discover a case of U-47700 in Ohio. The drug was soon found around Ohio and elsewhere—it was one of the drugs that contributed to the death of the musician Prince.

Other fentanyl analogues—furanyl fentanyl, 3-methyl fentanyl and carfentanil—also popped up in Lake County for the first time in 2016. More new analogues have been found this year including acryl fentanyl, despropionyl fentanyl, 4-flubrosolbutryl fentanyl and butyryl fentanyl.  In a Dec. 14 email, Rohde said they’ve identified several new fentanyl analogs in the past month alone.

The crime lab’s summer 2017 newsletter noted that heroin, fentanyl and carfentanil powders all look the same. Some of the samples that have been submitted for analysis have up to four different fentanyl analogs, meaning they have to spend more time separating and identifying all of the individual compounds.

In the newsletter, Rohde said that many opioid victims are not aware that their heroin has been laced with fentanyl. Sometimes the sellers don’t even know, he said. But, he added, there some who seek out fentanyl and its analogs because of the intense euphoric high. Fentanyl is 50 times more powerful than heroin.

Heroin just two years ago was the leading cause of overdose deaths in Lake County, but the coroner’s office is seeing fewer cases. Only four overdose deaths were attributed to heroin without the presence of fentanyl. As of Dec. 28, Lake County has 75 confirmed overdose deaths this year according to the coroner’s office. Of that total 49 deaths were attributed to fentanyl, including 11 involving a combination of fentanyl and heroin.

Rohde said they’ve seen an increase in cocaine and methamphetamine.

While occurrences of methamphetamine are increasing, Sgt. Brad Kemp of the Lake County Narcotics Agency said they’re seeing fewer meth labs. That’s because of meth being imported from Mexico called “Ice” he said.  Kemp said it’s being sold in Lake County, Ashtabula County and Cleveland and it’s cheaper than the meth being cooked in more local labs.

Rohde said they’ve seen a new type of drug trend beginning, synthetic benzodiazepines, which he expects to see more of in 2018.  Benzodiazepines are used medically to treat anxiety and insomnia. Xanax, Ativan and Klonopin are benzodiazepines. In 2016, benzodiazepines were involved in 15 Lake County overdose deaths.

Efforts to help those in recovery and to break the stigma of addiction also continued in the county in 2017.

In January, Clean Start opened a men’s recovery house in Mentor. Friends of Recovery opened a men’s recovery house in Willoughby this summer and is planning a women’s recovery house. Lake-Geauga Recovery Centers has both men’s and women’s recovery homes in the county including Nevaeh Ridge for pregnant women and women with children under the age of 5.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office in September received funding from the Ohio Attorney General’s Office to create a pilot program to help get those struggling with addiction into treatment.  Sheriff’s Capt. Ron Walters told the News-Herald a deputy, police officer or firefighter along with a social worker will come to the home of someone who was revived from an overdose and attempt to get them into treatment. Walters said they will present the person struggling with addiction the different options available to them in the county. Additionally, they will provide literature and support for family members.

Hope Over Heroin drew thousands to the Lake County Fairgrounds in August. The two-day event provided resources and support for those struggling with addiction, honored those who have lost their lives and fought to remove the stigma of addiction.

Cleveland resident Lisa Schiefer, four years clean from heroin addiction, was among the attendees.

“It’s very important to know you have people around you willing to help, to have a support system,” she told the News-Herald. “It’s very important for people to be there for you. You need that. And this is a group of caring, loving people.”

Pubished by The News-Herald