Addiction In Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota, like many places, has seen a regular increase in drug-related deaths over the past few years. Primarily due to opioids, the number of local drug-related deaths grew by 47% from 2015 to 2017. While the category of “opioids” is broad, city officials mainly attribute this growth to the increase in increasing presence of fentanyl.
Hennepin County, home to Minneapolis, has seen its greatest climb in years. After drug deaths fell consecutively in 2014 and then 2015, deaths shot to an all-time high in 2016 and grew once again in 2017. This sharp increase in drug related deaths means that more Minnesotans are killed by overdoses than car accidents each year. In 2019, Minneapolis saw 1,300 total overdoses, more than in the past 10 years.
Hidden Fentanyl In Minneapolis
One of the problems Minneapolis, along with the rest of Hennepin County, faces is the lacing of other drugs with fentanyl. Among dealers, this practice is becoming more common. Dealers will substitute another drug with fentanyl to increase potency and keep their costs down. Hennepin County saw 135 deaths because of fentanyl in 2019, dwarfing the losses of life from previous years. These numbers are growing in large part because the users don’t know what they are taking.
Users are more likely to overdose if they don’t have the knowledge of what their substance contains. When dealers sell fentanyl, they rarely have the equipment to properly measure and blend the synthetic opioid. This is what causes someone to overdose, as the dealer can inadvertently make the substance much stronger than the user is aware of. In 2017, fentanyl was involved in 156 deaths, but in 2019 Hennepin County almost eclipsed that number alone.
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The Opioid Crisis In Minneapolis
Like the rest of the nation, Minneapolis is suffering an opioid epidemic. In 2019, 343 Minnesotans died from opioid use. Hennepin County accounts for almost half of yearly opioid overdose deaths because of the centralized effect of large city populations.
Minneapolis Addiction Statistics
162
deaths
While final numbers have not arrived, preliminary numbers show that 162 people have died from opioids in 2017.
135
deaths
In 2019, there were 135 confirmed deaths that involved fentanyl.
22,218
admissions
2016 saw 22,218 admissions into addiction treatment programs in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. 5,527 of which involved opioids as the primary substance.
Finding Treatment In Minneapolis
With the increase of fentanyl’s presence, not just across Minneapolis, but all of Minnesota, deaths from overdose are soaring. Without testing the entirety of the drug received, people won’t know if what they are taking is a safe dose. This makes drug abuse in Minneapolis the most dangerous it has ever been. Because of this, looking for treatment in Minneapolis can be a matter of life and death. Unfortunately, people are more likely to relapse when recovering in the place where their addiction was born. It is this reason that many seek recovery in a different city or state. If you or a loved one need recovery, but don’t know where to start, contact a treatment provider today. They can discuss all available treatment options with you.
