MONTICELLO – In 2022, out of the 281 deaths recorded in Sullivan County with a year-round population of under 80,000, there were 45 as a result of drug overdoses.
County Coroner Albee Bachman also told the legislature’s oversight committee on Thursday that in the first three months of this year, there have been 11 overdose deaths out of a total of 55 deaths.
“Seventy percent of what we are finding in the opiates is mixed with fentanyl. Seventy percent of overdose deaths included fentanyl,” he said. “While we are talking about this new synthetic, xylazine; it’s the real deal. This is no joke.”
While Narcan can reverse opioid overdoses, it has no effect on xylazine, which can cause fatal effects and even eat away at human flesh.
