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Report: Fentanyl now top killer of Wisconsinites ages 25-54

MADISON (WKOW) — Fentanyl is now the number one killer of Wisconsin residents between 25 and 54 years old, according to a new report. 

Wisconsin-based research organization Forward Analytics released a report Thursday focusing on how the fentanyl epidemic is affecting Wisconsinites.

Fentanyl is used by doctors to treat severe pain, but illicit forms of the drug are circulating in the state. The report claims it's being mixed into or made to look like other drugs, which is dangerous because fentanyl is deadly at very small doses, and it's undetectable by taste, smell or sight.

The report found synthetic opioid deaths increased more than 1,000% from 2015 to 2021 and claimed more than 4,300 Wisconsin lives. The majority of these opioid deaths involve fentanyl.

The study also found fentanyl is disproportionately impacting some groups.

It found Black and American Indian populations have a mortality rate nearly three times higher than the rate of white populations. Forward Analytics claims the mortality rate for Wisconsin's Black population nearly tripled between 2019 and 2021.

Another demographic group significantly impacted by the epidemic is men, who the study says suffer from fentanyl deaths 2.6 times more than women. 

Additionally, the report states fentanyl is affecting Wisconsinites ages 25-34 "particularly hard." 

The report states preliminary figures from the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention show the epidemic "may have plateaued" in Wisconsin, at least temporarily. CDC figures show 2022 deaths at about 1,300, roughly the same as in 2021.

More information on fentanyl is available on the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration website.

Read the full report from Forward Analytics in the PDF below.

More at WKOW 27 News


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