The Opioid Epidemic in Hilton Head Island
The consequences of the Opioid Epidemic on Hilton Head Island and all of South Carolina have been tragic. There were 1,103 fatal drug overdoses in South Carolina in 2018, a 10% increase from the previous year in the total number of drug-related deaths. Of these, 816 involved at least one opioid, often a legal prescription painkiller. As in many other states, fentanyl was the deadliest drug in South Carolina in 2018. That year, the powerful synthetic opioid claimed the lives of 460 South Carolinians, a 27% increase in the state’s fentanyl death toll. Heroin killed 17% more South Carolinians in 2018 than in 2017. The state lost 168 residents to the illegal, opioid-based drug. Methadone was the third-deadliest opioid in South Carolina in 2018, with a death toll of 57.
As the Opioid crisis appears to worsen in South Carolina, Hilton Head Island and Beaufort County lost 14 people to an Opioid overdose in 2018. Hilton Head Island lost even more lives to opioids in 2017, a total of 18. The city’s progress against opioids may the result of the growing awareness of the risks of opioids, the gradual decline in opioid prescriptions statewide, the increasing prevalence of naloxone and other anti-overdose medications, and Beaufort County’s initiative to sponsor drug take-back events in collaboration with the DEA. In 2018, South Carolina also strengthened its prescription drug monitoring program to reduce the incidence of prescription painkiller divergence to drug traffickers.
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Drug Trafficking in Hilton Head Island
To protect residents from dangerous and addictive drugs, law enforcement in Hilton Head Island work diligently to arrest drug traffickers and confiscate their products. In 2019, the police arrested a man in Hilton Head Island who was conspiring to sell cocaine and heroin. Cocaine caused 254 deaths in South Carolina in 2018. Last year, a family of four discovered forty pounds of cocaine on Fripp Island, an area in Beaufort County near Hilton Head Island, abandoned on a shore. The cocaine stash had an estimated value of $600,000. In another case, the police arrested 18 people after a lengthy investigation for possessing and distributing a variety of illegal drugs throughout Beaufort County, including in Hilton Head Island.
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Start Rehab and Change Your Life Today
Like almost anywhere in the country, Hilton Head Island is not immune to the perils of drug addiction. No matter where you are, if you or someone you know has an addiction to alcohol or drugs, inpatient or outpatient rehab at a treatment center might be the solution. Please contact a dedicated treatment professional today to get answers to your questions about how to start rehab. Whether you’re a resident or you want to travel to a scenic resort city for your recovery, Hilton Head Island is home to several high-quality rehab facilities which could make a tremendous difference in your life.
