Fatal Drug Overdoses Sharply Up This Past Weekend in Cuyahoga County

(Cleveland) - A warning from Cuyahoga County's Medical Examiner, specifically to those who have an addiction to street drugs. Medical Examiner Thomas Gilson is putting out a public health alert, after there were 12 fatal overdoses in Cuyahoga County on Saturday and Sunday, plus four more this past Thursday.

The doctor says this is alarming. Dr. Gilson says testing is being done to find out what drugs were involved, but there's suspicion that street drugs are being laded with fentanyl.

The Medical Examiner's office says there are a number of locations in Cuyahoga County where you can get test strips to determine if your drugs have been laced with fentanyl. In addition, there are programs through which Naloxone can be obtained, which can reverse the effects of an overdose.

As for the victims of the overdoses, the ME's office says there wer seven women and fivd men, mostly living in Cleveland, but also in Euclid and Garfield heights. Nine of the victims were white, three black. They range in ages from 27 to 78.

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