Drug overdoses take huge rise in Columbia in 2022: Here’s what’s being done to fight it

The number of people overdosing on drugs has risen dramatically in Columbia this year, and authorities blame the spike on the increasing presence of fentanyl.

The Columbia Police Department reports that through late May, 31 people had overdosed on drugs in 2022, including 12 who died. In 2021, 17 people overdosed on drugs, including 11 people who died.

In late May, two deaths from overdoses were reported only a quarter mile from one another. On May 29, Columbia police found two people just blocks apart on Millwood Avenue who authorities suspect died from drug overdoses. The bodies were found eight minutes apart.

A large reason for the rising numbers is drugs are being laced with opiods, mainly fentanyl, authorities say.

Fentanyl was made to be a pain-relieving drug. It is also approximately 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin as an analgesic, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control. There are two types of fentanyl, one that is made illicitly and another that is pharmaceutical, while both are categorized as synthetic opiods.

Authorities and health officials say those who make illegal drugs use fentanyl in large part because it is cheap to make and its potency means a small amount of the opioid is strong enough to supply someone the inebriation they are looking for.

Fentanyl is usually laced with drugs like cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, and it is made into a large amount of illegally sold pills.

“People are starting to mix fentanyl with all drugs nowadays. Throughout my career, especially within the last two years, I’ve seen fentanyl mixed with every drug that you can think of,” Sgt. Lance Reeves, who leads the organized crime and narcotics unit for the Columbia Police Department.

“All drugs have an addictive property, it’s just that this drug is so potent and cheaper to get so we’re seeing it being used on an alarming rate right now,” said Ashley Bodiford, the director of prevention at the Lexington/Richland Alcohol and Drug Abuse Council.

She said a lot of people are consuming other drugs without knowing that fentanyl also has been added. Those users are unaware of fentanyl’s serious side effects.

More than 100,000 deaths from fentanyl overdose were reported in the United States from December 2020 to December 2021. The rise of overdose deaths has been nationwide with a 9% increase across the country from January 2021 to January 2022. In Oregon, there was a 21% increase and the state with the highest increase was Alaska, with 74%, according to the CDC.

So why are the numbers rising and what can be done about it? The answer for both Bodiford and Reeves is in education and prevention.

“It’s concerning, if you look at the statistics in the United States, it’s happening everywhere. If you look at the opioid epidemic, it’s just really getting bad,” Reeves said.

In Columbia, the cases could have been higher if not for the police department’s use of the drug Naloxone, police say. Naloxone can treat a person who has overdosed on fentanyl.

CPD officers are trained on how to give Naloxone. They are trained annually on the administering of the drug. Last year, a group of officers were praised and recognized by Gov. Henry McMaster for their efforts.

Deputies with the Lexington and Richland county sheriff’s departments and officers with several other local police departments are also Narcan trained.

“The Columbia Police Department has training sessions for all police officers, and they have to take their training annually,” said Reeves.

“The times we’ve deployed it, it’s been successful. I don’t recall any times where we’ve deployed it and someone succumbed to their injuries,” Reeves said.

There are multiple types of Naloxone. The varieties range from a nasal spray to an inject-able form and an auto-injector.

“The current Narcan we use is like a nasal spray, so each canister dispenses one dose. What you’re supposed to do is deploy it into one nostril and wait for it to take effect. Everyone carries two, so should it not take effect, then you deploy the second dose into the other nostril,” Reeves said.

“The reason behind that is one nostril maybe clogged so it may not have taken effect,” Reeves said.

LRADAC is planning several media campaigns to increase awareness of overdoses.

“We want to be educating our community and our people about fentanyl. That there’s a lot of unintentional exposure, and if people don’t know how to take precautions, it can have very major and lasting effects. We always encourage people to be mindful about knowing what’s in our drugs,” Bodiford said.

“It always alarms us. It’s unfortunate and it’s very sad. We also know that overdose deaths can be preventable. Every number that we see is more than just a number, it’s somebody’s friends, family members,” Bodiford said.

“One of the things I preach to my guys is ‘it’s not just about putting bad guys in jail, it’s about educating individuals and deterring the behavior,” Reeves said.

The CDC says ”it is nearly impossible to tell if drugs have been laced with fentanyl unless you test your drugs with fentanyl testing strips.” The test strips are able to be purchased but are for free at some local health sites like LRADAC, no questions asked.

“Fentanyl test strips and kits, we’re really trying to focus on a harm reduction approach. These kits are designed to place their drug in the test kit and the test strip will indicate to you whether fentanyl is present in that drug,” Bodiford said.

To report drug use or distribution, contact the Columbia police Narcotics Tip Line at 803-545-3599 or CrimeStoppers at 888-CRIME-SC or submit an online tip.