Hillsborough County (Tampa) #Florida drug data show drug overdose deaths from 2019 to 2020 jumped from 277 to 485 deaths and Nonfatal ODs 📈 by 731. Opioid-involved (includes illicit #fentanyl) and heroin-involved nonfatal ODs are both trending up. Read the 🧵🪡 for my analysis. 
2/ Hillsborough County (Tampa) usually has relatively decent (for a large metro) drug OD death rate numbers, with under 20 deaths per 100k ppl. Graph 1 shows the county jumped from 18.5 deaths per 100k ppl in 2019 to 32.1 in 2020, which is a jump you’d expect with 208 more deaths
3/ The Drug Poisoning/Overdose Deaths graph for Hillsborough (Tampa) shows the raw OD death count… after many years of hovering in the 200s, 2020 saw a huge spike in OD deaths, with a record 485… which was 208 more than the previous year.
4/ Throughout #Florida, we see the trend of Rx opioids dispensing decrease, as seen in the Prescription Opioid Dispensed per 100 ppl graph. This implies fewer Rx opioids in Florida that can be illegally diverted from patients to non-patients (eg, recreational users, kids, etc).
5/ The Nonfatal Overdoses graph for Hillsborough shows a spike of overdoses (that did not lead to death but required medical help) in 2020. Opioid-involved ODs and heroin-involved ODs also spiked 📈.
6/ When taking into account that Rx opioids are more difficult to obtain these days (based on reduction of Rx opioid dispensing), the 📈 of Opioid-Involved ODs indicate the prevalence of illicit/street opioids like #fentanyl & fentanyl analogs are the cause of the opioid OD spike
7/ I posted Drug Arrest data to show the trend of arrests going down - due to the pandemic in 2020 and possibly police arresting less for marijuana (which I believe became “legal” with prescription in 2019). Most drug arrests are for marijuana, not for drugs that cause ODs.
8/ So it’s difficult to use Drug Arrests data in Florida to assess the illicit opioid black market in Florida. I also read that Florida does not keep track of marijuana arrests vs. non-marijuana arrests… which is disappointing.
9/ The Naloxone Administered graph shows the count of overdose scenes in which naloxone/narcan was used on the victim to reverse the opioid overdose. In Hillsborough, there was a huge 📉 of naloxone use in 2018. I wonder why. Was it bc there was less supply of naloxone?
10/ With lower-than-peak naloxone/narcan use in 2018 and 2019, OD deaths did not really 📈 a lot compared to 2017, which was Hillsborough’s highest use of naloxone. As nonfatal ODs 📈in 2020, Naloxone use slightly 📈, but the county ended up with 208 more deaths at years end.
11/ Hillsborough County seems to be pushing #HarmReduction initiatives such as clean needle exchanges (which by law, are NOT funded by Florida taxpayers 🤬). These needle exchange programs should offer fentanyl test strips. Publicly funding these programs will help the county.
12/ Shout out to @GhanaboyPharmd for volunteering at the local clean needle exchange and Hillsborough County State Rep @AndrewLearned for trying to pass a bill to decriminalize fentanyl test strips. FL’s Senate & house are controlled by an opposing party that shot down the bill.
13/ #Fentanyl test strips allow users to test their drug supply for illicit fentanyl. Many of today’s overdoses occur because sellers sell drugs laced with street fentanyl and the buyers/users unknowingly consume fentanyl, which is essentially a “poisoning”. #harmreduction
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