Earlier this month, the Oneida County Overdose Response Team issued a Tainted Drug warning.
Now, they are warning people about a new trend to look out for and what to do if you come across it.
Oneida County residents are concerned after a suspected tainted batch of cocaine left two people dead in less than 24 hours in early September.
“It is very concerning,” said Oneida County Opioid Task Force project coordinator, Lisa Worden. “Two fatalities in one day is unusually high for us.”
Worden fears that a bad batch of cocaine is being mixed with opioids unknowingly to those who use it.
“We saw this earlier in July, where there were about two or three people that presented to the hospital thinking that they were using cocaine with pretty severe critical care conditions,” said Worden.
In this case, the people who showed up at the hospital were given Naloxone, also called Narcan, to reverse the overdose.
“Narcan is a treatment,” said Worden. “Substance use disorder is an illness. It’s a disease. So, you need help. You need resources to save your life.”
Another resource that is available to some is the Spike Alert by text program. It sends out alerts when there is an increase in overdose in your community. It is information that can save you or your loved one’s life.
“If you or someone you love uses cocaine, you now must assume the product being used is contaminated with Fentanyl,” The Oneida County Director of Health, Daniel Gilmore said in a statement.
For help with substance abuse disorder, you can contact 2-1-1 or ACR Health at 315-793-0661.