Police address fentanyl overdose cases in Charlotte as nationwide deaths surpass 100K

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - Police spoke publicly Tuesday about cases involving fentanyl overdose deaths in Charlotte.

This comes as Mecklenburg County has seen a sizable increase in overdoses in 2021.

Back in June, WBTV reported that in Mecklenburg County alone, overdoses had risen 32% since the start of the pandemic. That number came from the Mecklenburg County Health Department.

Ward Blanchard, founder and CEO of The Blanchard Institute in Pineville, said he was not surprised to learn that more than 100,000 people in America had died from an overdose in a year’s time.

At a press conference, police say they are seeing more recreational drug users die from overdoses lately. This is someone they say smokes marijuana occasionally or buys pills of the street. Police are seeing these drugs pop up more and more with fentanyl mixed into them.

An officer with the Special Investigations Bureau, Lieutenant Shawn Mitchell, says overdose deaths patrol officers are responding to have increased dramatically. He says in 2019, there were an average of 110 monthly calls for service just for overdoses. This year, that number is up to almost 160.

”There’s this idea in the community that these overdose deaths are IV drug users, heroin users, but that is far from the case,” says Mitchell.

The addictive disease centers are seeing the same problems too.

”Recreational drug use is not what it used to be,” says McLeod Addictive Disease Center President Mary Ward.

As the president of the McLeod Addictive Disease Center, Mary Ward has seen enough to tell some tough stories. That is why she knew she had to tell a story about an established patient who uses marijuana to warn others. The president of the McLeod Center calls recreational drug use ”not what it used to be.”

”This patient came into our clinic, received care and the following day we didn’t see them. That afternoon he went unconscious. They were smoking marijuana together but for some reason he lost consciousness,” says Ward.

Ward believes this was a fentanyl overdose. She says she is seeing the deadly drug sneak into more and more drugs they have never seen before.

”What people think they are purchasing on the streets is not what they think it is,” she says.

While Ward sees it in the people she is trying to help, police say they see it after it is too late.

”These are recreational drug users and they’re just dying,” says Mitchell. “It’s shocking.”

Lieutenant Shawn Mitchell says there was a five percent increase in deaths from last year to this year. But a 32 percent increase since 2019. When asked if police vacancies could be contributing to the lack of investigations into these overdoses, Mitchell admitted more could be done.

The Blanchard Institute is an outpatient treatment facility devoted to helping people who struggle with substance abuse and mental health. Ward Blanchard said he and his colleagues have recently noticed more patients coming to the facility for help overcoming opioid addiction.

“There is some frustration that we could do a better job if we had more resources,” says Mitchell.

At the heart of the matter though is the people in our community dying from these overdoses and attempting to prevent more from happening, especially in those vulnerable populations.

”This is a case where we’re being hit at the same time. Police are seeing it. We’re seeing it with people that are trying to get well. And that’s what’s scary,” says Ward.

The institute founder called fentanyl a gamechanger for the opioid epidemic because of how potent and deadly the drug can be.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, half of people with drug addiction also experience mental disorders. For the last year, this cross-section of Americans have experienced job loss, increased stress, and isolation.

If you or a loved one has struggled with addiction, resources are available to help. You can call the national hotline by dialing 1-800-662-4357 or visiting the following website for local help:

• NCDHHS: State-operated healthcare facilities
• Mental Health America of Central Carolinas
• Mecklenburg County Public Health

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