{"id":2862,"date":"2021-12-08T09:48:14","date_gmt":"2021-12-08T09:48:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/CBMieWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lm5vcndpY2hidWxsZXRpbi5jb20vc3RvcnkvbmV3cy9sb2NhbC8yMDIxLzEyLzA4L2ZlbnRhbnlsLWxhY2VkLW1hcmlqdWFuYS1mb3VuZC1jb25uZWN0aWN1dC1zYW1wbGUvODgyMTI0MTAwMi_SAS5odHRwczovL2FtcC5ub3J3aWNoYnVsbGV0aW4uY29tL2FtcC84ODIxMjQxMDAy"},"modified":"2021-12-08T09:48:14","modified_gmt":"2021-12-08T09:48:14","slug":"conn-residents-are-surviving-opioid-overdoses-but-denying-opioid-use-whats-happening-norwich-bulletin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/?p=2862","title":{"rendered":"Conn. residents are surviving opioid overdoses, but denying opioid use. What&#8217;s happening? &#8211; Norwich Bulletin"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"gnt_em gnt_em__fp gnt_em_vp__tp gnt_em__el\" aria-label=\"Video - Paramedic Glenn Arremony talks about Narcan\"><\/aside>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">State health officials flagged a <a href=\"https:\/\/portal.ct.gov\/DPH\/Press-Room\/Press-Releases---2021\/Officials-From-The-Connecticut-Overdose-Response-Strategy-And-The-DPH-Issue-Warning\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">new, worrisome potential trend last month<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Between July and October, first responders in Connecticut saved 39 people with the <a href=\"https:\/\/portal.ct.gov\/DMHAS\/Programs-and-Services\/Opioid-Treatment\/Naloxone\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">opioid overdose-reversing drug naloxone<\/a> who, once revived, denied using any opioids. They said<a href=\"https:\/\/www.norwichbulletin.com\/story\/news\/2021\/11\/22\/fentanyl-found-connecticut-marijuana-after-overdoses\/8716932002\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\"> they&#8217;d only smoked marijuana<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cWell, Narcan only works on one drug,\u201d Glenn Arremony, a 30-year veteran with American Ambulance in Norwich, said, using the common brand name for naloxone.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">At least 10 of those cases were in Norwich and surrounding areas.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">In early October, police in Plymouth secured a sample of marijuana linked to a suspected incident. The state\u2019s forensics lab confirmed it tested positive for fentanyl along with marijuana and the psychoactive ingredient found in cannabis, Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img\"><img class=\"gnt_em_img_i\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-src=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/conn-residents-are-surviving-opioid-overdoses-but-denying-opioid-use-whats-happening-norwich-bulletin.jpg\" data-gl-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/conn-residents-are-surviving-opioid-overdoses-but-denying-opioid-use-whats-happening-norwich-bulletin-5.jpg 2x\" alt=\"Paramedic Glenn Arremony, director quality assurance at American Ambulance in Norwich, with a nasal dose of Naloxone Hydrochloride, or NARCAN, for suspected opioid overdose emergencies that are kept in their ambulances.\"><\/figure>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cThis is the first lab-confirmed case of marijuana with fentanyl in Connecticut and possibly the first confirmed case in the United States,\u201d said Department of Public Health Commissioner&nbsp;Dr. Manisha Juthani in the press statement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Fentanyl is a dangerous and potent synthetic opioid that has been linked to increased overdoses in recent years. It is often found in heroin doses.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><strong class=\"gnt_ar_b_al\">More:<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.norwichbulletin.com\/story\/news\/local\/2021\/09\/07\/reliance-health-center-norwich-ct-hopes-congressional-funds\/5751918001\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">A Norwich opioid recovery program has found success. Congressional funding may help it grow.<\/a><\/p>\n<aside aria-label=\"advertisement\" class=\"gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\"><\/aside>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">At least 10&nbsp;of the 11 July incidents were non-fatal and occurred in the greater Norwich area, defined as&nbsp;stretching south from&nbsp;Groton to as far north as Willimantic, according to Department of Public Health Communications Director Chris Boyle, who added,&nbsp;\u201cless than six\u201d happened within Norwich city limits.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The chemical makeup of the substances on which those individuals overdosed, including whether or not they contained fentanyl, was not lab-tested.<\/p>\n<aside aria-label=\"advertisement\" class=\"gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\"><\/aside>\n<h2 class=\"gnt_ar_b_h2\">What Norwich police are seeing<\/h2>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The Norwich Police Department received notification about the Plymouth case but Lt. Anthony Gomes said members of the Norwich police narcotics unit were not aware of the local cases reported by state health officials.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">&#8220;[There is] nothing from the detective division indicating that there is a bad batch of marijuana out there,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Norwich police are not required to carry naloxone on duty but roughly 10 officers are trained to do so.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_anc\" id=\"gnt_atomsnc\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-method=\"loadAnc\" aria-label=\"Newsletter signup form\"><\/aside>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">A <a href=\"https:\/\/portal.ct.gov\/DPH\/Health-Education-Management--Surveillance\/The-Office-of-Injury-Prevention\/Current-Laws-related-to-Opioids-Overdose-Prevention\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">2011 &#8220;Good Samaritan Law&#8221;<\/a> means individuals who report an overdose are protected from arrest for possession of drugs. As a result, Gomes said police would only investigate an overdose incident if there is a fatality or if a cooperative victim is willing to work with the police. In those cases, police attempt to use a victim\u2019s cellphone to help identify \u201cthe drug dealer and potentially charge that person with causing the death of another person.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img\"><img class=\"gnt_em_img_i\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-src=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/conn-residents-are-surviving-opioid-overdoses-but-denying-opioid-use-whats-happening-norwich-bulletin-1.jpg\" data-gl-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/conn-residents-are-surviving-opioid-overdoses-but-denying-opioid-use-whats-happening-norwich-bulletin-6.jpg 2x\" alt=\"Paramedic Glenn Arremony, director quality assurance at American Ambulance in Norwich, with a nasal dose of Naloxone Hydrochloride, or NARCAN, for suspected opioid overdose emergencies that are kept in their ambulances.\"><\/figure>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The Norwich lieutenant wondered if those claiming they only used cannabis were being truthful and speculated on the \u201cvariables\u201d behind marijuana production for the illegal market, noting police find traces of opioids on other items they seize, including money.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cThat is very common for money to test positive for fentanyl,\u201d said Gomes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cMy guess is if you are a drug dealer and you sell weed and fentanyl, and you keep your fentanyl and weed in the same container and always are reaching for the same items to sell then everything is going to test positive for fentanyl.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"gnt_ar_b_h2\">Narcan and the fight to stop overdoses<\/h2>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Arremony said he and his colleagues have used Narcan, the most common brand of naloxone, over 200 times so far in 2021.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Showing a reporter how the drug is used, either intravenously or sprayed through a victim&#8217;s nostril, he explained how paramedics collect information on the variety of opioid overdose incidents they encounter.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img gnt_em_img__inset\"><img class=\"gnt_em_img_i\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-src=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/conn-residents-are-surviving-opioid-overdoses-but-denying-opioid-use-whats-happening-norwich-bulletin-2.jpg\" data-gl-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/conn-residents-are-surviving-opioid-overdoses-but-denying-opioid-use-whats-happening-norwich-bulletin-7.jpg 2x\" alt=\"Paramedic Glenn Arremony, director quality assurance at American Ambulance in Norwich, shows how a nasal dose of Naloxone Hydrochloride, or NARCAN, is administered for suspected opioid overdose emergencies.\"><\/figure>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cRoutinely people will, when they are under the influence of an opioid and&nbsp;when they are resuscitated or revived with Narcan administration, they will come up and we will ask them questions,\u201d Arremony said last week. \u201cThey become alert pretty quickly, and we will say &#8216;did you do any opioid&#8217; and they will either say &#8216;yeah, this is what I did,&#8217; or they will say &#8216;no, I didn\u2019t do it.&#8217;\u201d<\/p>\n<aside aria-label=\"advertisement\" class=\"gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\"><\/aside>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">When it works, the revival happens \u201cwithin a couple of minutes,\u201d and Arremony said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">While he or another EMT might offer resources for the victim to get help, \u201cwe don\u2019t spend a lot of time with them to really get into the social aspect of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><strong class=\"gnt_ar_b_al\">More:<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.norwichbulletin.com\/story\/news\/local\/2021\/10\/21\/perception-programs-help-substance-abuse-disorder-addiction\/8522725002\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">&#8216;Hey, it&#8217;s not a police sting.&#8217; How a nonprofit fights addiction in and around Norwich.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">When it comes to the marijuana-related overdoses that happened locally, he doubted they were deliberate, and suggested most could be attributed to \u201ccross-contamination.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cSome have said that \u2018all I did was smoke marijuana tonight but I did some cocaine but I don\u2019t do opioids\u2019 \u2014 that has been relayed to us,\u201d Arremony explained. \u201cWe just know that they are not breathing, so we are going to breathe for them, and we are going to give them Narcan.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img\"><img class=\"gnt_em_img_i\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-src=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/conn-residents-are-surviving-opioid-overdoses-but-denying-opioid-use-whats-happening-norwich-bulletin-3.jpg\" data-gl-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/conn-residents-are-surviving-opioid-overdoses-but-denying-opioid-use-whats-happening-norwich-bulletin-8.jpg 2x\" alt=\"Paramedic Glenn Arremony, director quality assurance at American Ambulance in Norwich, with a bag of Naloxone Hydrochloride, or NARCAN, for suspected opioid overdose emergencies that are kept in their ambulances.\"><\/figure>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Whatever the circumstances of the 39 incidents reported by the state&#8217;s Department of Public Health last month, they come with an alarming and devastating rise in overdose deaths in the state and nationwide, particularly those linked to fentanyl.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">According to data recently released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, there were an estimated 100,306 drug overdose deaths in the United States during the 12-month period ending in April 2021 \u2013 a record high for the country and an increase of 28.5% from the 78,056 deaths during the same period the year before.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">In Connecticut, the Department of Public Health reported 1,378 fatal drug overdoses in the calendar year 2020 \u2013 a 14.6% increase from 2019 \u2013 with 91% of those&nbsp;deaths involving fentanyl.<\/p>\n<aside aria-label=\"advertisement\" class=\"gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\"><\/aside>\n<h2 class=\"gnt_ar_b_h2\">A growing problem?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">As a professor and the Department Chair of Public Health at Yale University, Jason Hockenberry\u2019s wide-ranging research includes studying the interplay between cannabis liberalization policies and the opioid epidemic.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><strong>More:&nbsp;<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.norwichbulletin.com\/story\/news\/local\/2021\/12\/07\/criminal-charges-dropped-against-norwich-ct-businessman-michael-grillo-check-cashing\/8806438002\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">Criminal charges against former Norwich City Council candidate Michael Grillo dropped<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">On the Plymouth case, he pointed out this was the first-ever documented overdose incident in the U.S. where marijuana was seized, collected, tested&nbsp;and&nbsp;found to be positive for fentanyl.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">&#8220;This is a sentinel moment and that is probably why the police didn\u2019t have a lot of information because [they] and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is still trying to digest this,&#8221; Hockenberry said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Like local first responders, the public health expert suspected most of the overdose cases related to marijuana came inadvertently.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img\"><img class=\"gnt_em_img_i\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-src=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/conn-residents-are-surviving-opioid-overdoses-but-denying-opioid-use-whats-happening-norwich-bulletin-4.jpg\" data-gl-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/conn-residents-are-surviving-opioid-overdoses-but-denying-opioid-use-whats-happening-norwich-bulletin-9.jpg 2x\" alt=\"Paramedic Glenn Arremony, director quality assurance at American Ambulance, talks about Naloxone Hydrochloride, or NARCAN, for suspected opioid overdose emergencies.\"><\/figure>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cAt some point, I would expect to see a seizure in the region where there are large quantities of things already cut [with fentanyl],\u201d he added. &#8220;Otherwise it&#8217;s a cross-contamination story.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Though marijuana possession is legal in Connecticut, Hockenberry said it could be more than 18 months before the state sees its first recreational use sale, as public health officials, policy experts, lawmakers and members of law enforcement work together to set parameters and hammer out details over how the industry will operate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><strong>More:<\/strong>&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.norwichbulletin.com\/story\/news\/local\/2021\/12\/06\/state-and-defense-rest-their-cases-griswold-triple-murder-trial\/8866962002\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-t-l=\":b|e|inline click|${u}\" class=\"gnt_ar_b_a\">Griswold murder trial: Defense presents one witness, Sergio Correa declines to take stand.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cMy sense is that when we get to a point where there are dispensaries in Connecticut and things are fully legal, most [marijuana] users are going to go to the dispensaries,\u201d Hockenberry said.<\/p>\n<aside aria-label=\"advertisement\" class=\"gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\"><\/aside>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">That will cut down on unintentional substances in marijuana used by Connecticut residents.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cI would say it\u2019s still going to be feasible and possible that you are still going to find these cases, but I can\u2019t imagine it will be a big issue,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>State health officials flagged a new, worrisome potential trend last month. Between July and October, first responders in Connecticut saved 39 people with the opioid overdose-reversing drug naloxone who, once revived, denied using any opioids. They said they&#8217;d only smoked marijuana. \u201cWell, Narcan only works on one drug,\u201d Glenn Arremony, a 30-year veteran with American Ambulance in Norwich, said, using the common brand name for naloxone. At least 10 of those cases were in Norwich and surrounding areas. In early October, police in Plymouth secured a sample of marijuana linked to a suspected incident. The state\u2019s forensics lab confirmed it&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2863,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2862","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/conn-residents-are-surviving-opioid-overdoses-but-denying-opioid-use-whats-happening-norwich-bulletin.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2862","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2862"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2862\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2863"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2862"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2862"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2862"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}