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According to Harris County Public Health, substance-involved deaths in Harris County have spiked by 75% over just a five-year period. From 2018 to 2022, substance-involved deaths increased from 673 to 1,177.
Andy Kahan with Crime Stoppers told KTRH that one of the biggest culprits here is Fentanyl, which is being brought in by the cartels. He said, "Basically, you have what I call an Ebola virus, only it's now Fentanyl. And this drug is so dangerous, and it's so prolific right now."
He went on to add that Fentanyl is especially dangerous because "it is powerful, it is easy to hide, it's difficult to detect." He says if we aren't able to get a handle on this problem soon, the numbers are just going to continue to rise.
Kahan also pointed out that teenagers and even young children are falling victim to this drug, thanks to the internet. He said, "You have the use of social media. Teens have a very clear way of getting ahold of these drugs without any parental notification."
Kahan also thinks that the COVID-19 lockdowns played a major role in this spike of substance-related deaths. Thankfully, Texas has taken steps to address this issue, with a new law that allows for dealers to be charged with murder in cases of overdose deaths.