Heroin deaths in Seattle-King County rose 58 percent from 2013 to 2014, according to an annual report published June 18 by UW’s Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute. “The increase in drug deaths in 2014, particularly heroin, is quite distressing,” said Caleb Banta-Green, senior research scientist with the institute and the report’s lead author. He said King County has expanded access to lifesaving measures, including opioid drug treatment, and is distributing the opiate overdose antidote naloxone. It appears, however, that heroin use and related mortality are outpacing these efforts. For more on the story, see the article in HSNewsBeat and coverage in Seattle Times, KOMO-TV ABC 4 and Radio 1000, KING-TV NBC 5, and KUOW.
Report: Drug Abuse Trends in Seattle-King County Area: 2014.
