SPRINGFIELD – According to provisional data from the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), opioid deaths are on the rise in the state.
Nearly 2,900 people died due to an opioid overdose in 2020, a 30% increase over 2019. The data noted 83% of the cases involved fentanyl-laced drugs, which Marnell Brown, founder of the non-profit Chicago-based group “To Walk in My Shoes” said are “turning up everywhere.”
Dupage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said his office is tackling the problem in two manners: getting users into treatment and ‘”really going after drug dealers.”
IDPH said Black men account for the most opioid overdoses, but the biggest increase seen over the year has been among Hispanic and Latin-x populations.