WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) – Twelve people have died from drug overdoses in Jefferson County since the beginning of the year.
Jefferson County Public Health Service says the deaths include:
- 1 in January
- 1 in February
- 4 in March
- 3 in April
- 3 in May
Officials say 10 of the confirmed deaths are due to opioids. Nine of those deaths are specifically blamed on fentanyl.
The county saw 8 overdose deaths at this same time last year. In all of 2022, 25 people died from drug overdoses.
On Tuesday, the county says it experienced 4 overdoses within a 24-hour period from heroin mixed with fentanyl. The people all survived.
Officials warn people that using drugs like marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, and xylazine is unsafe – that any drug could contain lethal amounts of fentanyl or xylazine.
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