Wisconsin DHS Issues Public Health Advisory For Fentanyl

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services issued a statement Wednesday, warning of the risks of death from drugs laced with fentanyl.

The public health advisory is meant to inform Wisconsinites about the increased number of deaths caused by drugs laced with synthetic substances, especially fentanyl.

DHS data from 2021 shows synthetic opioids, primarily fentanyl, were identified in 91 percent of opioid overdose deaths in Wisconsin, and in 73 percent of all overdose deaths.

From 2019 to 2021, the number of fentanyl overdose deaths in the state grew by 97 percent.

DHS Secretary-designee Karen Timberlake said, “This is a public health crisis, and it’s necessary to sound the alarm to prevent unnecessary deaths.”

The statement says Fentanyl is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and up to 100 times stronger than morphine. Because it is so strong and cheap to produce, illegal drug manufactures use fentanyl to make other drugs more powerful and less expensive to make.