Amid recent Fayetteville police warnings of an increase in suspected fentanyl overdoses, Cumberland County ranks fourth among North Carolina counties for fentanyl-related deaths.
Fentanyl is a fully synthetic opioid that can be fatal in small amounts. Illicit fentanyl is also frequently mixed with other drugs, including heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, and counterfeit prescription pills. Individuals may therefore be exposed to fentanyl without knowing it, according to an Aug. 14 Fayetteville Police Department news release.
The Cumberland County Department of Public Health told The Fayetteville Observer on Sept. 15 that fentanyl-related death figures are provisional and may change as investigations are completed…