Fentanyl-Laced Cocaine Threatens To Put More College Students At Risk

(WOSO Radio, May 1) The presence of the potent painkiller fentanyl in heroin contributed a huge spike in Ohio’s opioid epidemic. Now, prosecutors say cocaine users should be wary of fentanyl's deadly effects, too.

Figures from Franklin County death certificates show 30 percent of all overdose deaths in the county last year had both cocaine and fentanyl in their systems – more than double the number of cocaine-fentanyl related deaths the year before.

While cocaine can cause overdoses on its own, the increase in deaths where cocaine is present can at least partially be attributed to fentanyl, says Franklin County Chief Deputy Rick Minerd. Read more.