Shasta County health officials are warning residents to be aware of an increase in fentanyl-related deaths in the county. The county is on pace to experience three times the number of deaths in 2021 from fentanyl as it did in 2020.

According to health officials, there were seven fentanyl-related deaths in all of 2020 and 11 by June of 2021.

Nationally, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a record number of drug overdose deaths for 2020, more than 93,000 overdose deaths, much of it driven by the synthetic opioid fentanyl.

Local health officials want Shasta County community members to be aware of blue pills (some marked with “M” and “30”) that are being sold on the street and online (the dark web) as prescription opioid medication. These counterfeit pills most likely contain some amount of fentanyl.

Administrative Captain Brian Cole of the Redding Police Department says that people selling or using don’t know what they’re getting anymore. “Some people are seeking out fentanyl, but others are unaware that their drugs are laced or cut with it. It goes without saying, but you can’t trust your local drug dealer.”

Fentanyl does not mix in evenly with other substances, and the potency and purity in one pill can vary. Simply breaking a pill in half does not mean that users will receive an evenly split dose.

Fentanyl test strips and Naloxone, medication for opioid overdose emergencies, are available at Shasta County Public Health during Syringe Services Program times, (530) 225-5591.