Forum: 4th Wave of Addictions, Overdoses Coming

This is very scary stuff.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic began, some 6 percent of the county's population was addicted to opioids, according to District Attorney Andrea Harrington, and local law enforcement agencies have indicated that they are seeing increases in drug overdoses stemming from the crisis.

Harrington recounted a recent presentation she attended, during which officials from the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Federal Bureau of Investigations advised that communities prepare for an increase in the prevalence of stimulants like methamphetamine and cocaine — alongside opioids — which they described as the fourth wave. Key to that effort, she said, is addressing the demand for illegal drugs.

"We can expect to see more fentanyl; we should expect to see more stimulants," she said, "and they're telling local municipalities that we need to be ready for this."

Dr. Daniel Ciccarone, a physician and professor at the University of California, San Francisco, said overdose deaths involving methamphetamine are creeping up too.

Read the entire story at The Berkshire Eagle.Com now.