An acquaintance of mine recently died of a drug overdose. We weren't close, but this person was a well loved member of the broader community we were a part of. It's unclear whether it was suicide or accidental.
About 50,000 people die from opioid overdose every year. The holidays often see a spike in such deaths, as people have more time off to indulge, and because they may be feeling down or anxious.
Many opioid deaths are caused by fluctuations in the dosage of the active ingredient from batch to batch. (Underground black market labs typically have spotty quality controls).
Users can mitigate their risk somewhat by testing their drugs themselves. Unfortunately, in the US, the DEA will revoke the license of any testing lab that offers quantitative testing (which would show a variation in dosage):
https://www.drugsdata.org/about_data.php#quant
Fortunately, other countries have more sensible drug policies, and allow organizations like Energy Control (located in Spain) to perform quantitative testing:
https://energycontrol-international.org/drug-testing-service/
(Qualitative) home tests are also available. Although they won't tell you dosage, they'll tell you if highly potent opioids like fentanyl are present:
https://dancesafe.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/2019-fent-strips.pdf
If you know of someone with a similar addiction, please encourage them to perform such testing on new batches of drugs.
If you live near someone who uses, it's also a good idea to carry some Narcan spray:
https://harmreduction.org/issues/overdose-prevention/overview/overdose-basics/understanding-naloxone/
If administered early enough, Narcan can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.
About 50,000 people die from opioid overdose every year. The holidays often see a spike in such deaths, as people have more time off to indulge, and because they may be feeling down or anxious.
Many opioid deaths are caused by fluctuations in the dosage of the active ingredient from batch to batch. (Underground black market labs typically have spotty quality controls).
Users can mitigate their risk somewhat by testing their drugs themselves. Unfortunately, in the US, the DEA will revoke the license of any testing lab that offers quantitative testing (which would show a variation in dosage):
https://www.drugsdata.org/about_data.php#quant
Fortunately, other countries have more sensible drug policies, and allow organizations like Energy Control (located in Spain) to perform quantitative testing:
https://energycontrol-international.org/drug-testing-service/
(Qualitative) home tests are also available. Although they won't tell you dosage, they'll tell you if highly potent opioids like fentanyl are present:
https://dancesafe.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/2019-fent-strips.pdf
If you know of someone with a similar addiction, please encourage them to perform such testing on new batches of drugs.
If you live near someone who uses, it's also a good idea to carry some Narcan spray:
https://harmreduction.org/issues/overdose-prevention/overview/overdose-basics/understanding-naloxone/
If administered early enough, Narcan can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.