'It's very readily available' Amount of fentanyl coming into county continues to rise
ZANESVILLE − The number of fentanyl cases reported in Muskingum County has varied recently, but the quantity of drugs being brought into the county has risen expeditiously over the last two years.
Fentanyl lacing has emerged as a growing concern in the United States, and Muskingum County has not been immune from seeing a rise in drug problems. Since the start of 2021, in just 86 cases approximately 11,800 grams of fentanyl has been uncovered by the drug unit of the Muskingum County Sheriff’s Office.
"It's very readily available. It's very attainable," said Sheriff Matt Lutz.
Both forms of fentanyl, pharmaceutical and illicitly manufactured, are considered synthetic opioids surpassing the potency of heroin by up to 50 times, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It is similar to morphine but about 100 times more potent. Often it is laced or taken with other substances, making them more potent and addictive.
According to the Ohio Harm Reduction website, which takes data of drug overdoses across the state, Muskingum County ranked 58th out of 88 counties in 2020 for drug overdoses. In just one year the county's ranking increased to 26th place. No information is currently available on the site for 2022 or 2023. Just 2 milligrams of fentanyl, equal to 10 to15 grains of table salt, is considered a lethal dose.
Lutz has prioritized drug enforcement during his 15-year tenure, attributing the escalating drug issues to the way that the U.S controls the borders, allowing more drugs to be transported further into the states.
The 2021, Ohio's overall drug overdose death rate, provided by the CDC, was 48.1 per 100,000 total population, ranking among the highest in the nation. Only six states had a higher rate. According to Lutz, pinpointing fentanyl as the sole cause of death is a challenge due to the likely presence of other drugs in one's system.
"Obviously, we have people that are bringing fentanyl in, and they sell pure fentanyl. That causes a lot of our overdoses when these dealers and traffickers mix it together with cocaine or heroin. It makes it a lot more lethal, more potent," said Lutz.
Drawing parallels to the ongoing opioid crisis, Lutz recalls challenges with past trends of other dangerous drugs including dealing with a large amount of meth labs in cars and buildings, prompting the purchase of a meth cleanup trailer. Meth eventually started being transported into the county lowering the cost and people began buying it instead. With I-70 running through the center of Zanesville connecting to other major highways, it puts Muskingum in an easy position for drug trafficking from major cities such as Columbus, Lutz said.
In 2022, the drug unit handled 51 fentanyl cases involving 2,500 grams in the county. Despite a decrease to 35 cases in 2023, the total grams of fentanyl found more than tripled to 9,300.
Addiction does not just target one demographic, according to Lutz. Anybody can become an addict, however, one age group that Lutz thinks should be targeted more for drug education is the youth and trying to keep the youth away from substances. Mental health issues have a major impact on drug use as well.
"There's better ways to have fun. There are better ways to feel better about themselves, about their life," Lutz said.
When it comes down to rehabilitation, Lutz considers himself a major mental health advocate for the court system. The jail and county do not offer much in-house rehabilitation for those in jail who seek providers. Many are sent to outpatient facilities. Lutz takes some issue with this approach because when they are done at the outpatient centers, they head right back to those who got them addicted to drugs originally.
"If I had a new jail with unlimited beds, we wouldn't have any drug abusers walking around on the street. And then they would at least be able to get some assistance while they are in the jail," he said.
The court system in Zanesville has tried to work with drug addiction, but in his opinion the best course of action is to create a jail system that focuses on mandatory stays, and in-house rehab for those who have committed crimes while on substances.
LVanNiel@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Lutz: Amount of fentanyl coming into Muskingum Co. continues to rise
