According to provisional data from the State Department of Public Health, opioid deaths are on the rise in Illinois.
The numbers reported at a Senate Hearing show a 30% increase in opiate-related deaths from 2019 to 2020. In most instances, the drugs were laced with fentanyl, making them far more dangerous and in some cases, resistant to overdose remedies like Narcan.
Dupage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin says they are tackling the problem in two ways: getting users into treatment, and really going after dealers.
“The people who are dying in these cases are victims. They are drug users that the dealers take advantage of. That is why I think it’s very important to hold these dealers accountable for their actions. What they are doing are spreading these drugs that lack of a better term, contain poison and they kill people.”
IDPH says black men account for the most opioid overdose, but that the biggest increase seen over the year has been among Hispanic and Latin-X populations.
