SCHENECTADY — Police are urging anyone with a substance use disorder to test their drugs for dangerous additives before taking them, after four people died in suspected overdoses this past weekend.
“Although these still need to be confirmed through toxicology tests, we believe this is cause for increased awareness to all our community members and providers. If you are currently living with a substance use disorder, or know someone who is, please reach out for help,” Schenectady police spokesman Lieutenant Ryan Macherone said in an email.
The Schenectady alert follows a similar one in May from Rensselaer County, which reported possibly five fatalities, as well as 12 non-fatal overdoses, that involved cocaine and fentanyl in one weekend.
Opioid addiction and related deaths continue to ravage communities across New York and the nation.
Free test strips to check for fentanyl can help those who use other drugs, like cocaine or methamphetamine, that might be adulterated with fentanyl, according to the state Office of Addiction Services and Supports.
Fentanyl “has been found mixed with other substances, which increases the risk of overdose and overdose death. Fentanyl is undetectable by sight, smell, or taste,” OASAS said in a overdose prevention brochure. “The rise of fentanyl contributes to the rising rates of opioid overdose deaths; fentanyl co-involvement in cocaine and methamphetamine deaths are becoming more prevalent.”
Those using fentanyl should get free xylazine test strips to make sure that drug has not been added to their fentanyl. Xylazinde is a non-opioid sedative used by veterinarians to sedate animals. When mixed with a drug used by humans, it can lead to an overdose, according to OASAS.
“Xylazine most commonly is being added to illicitly manufactured fentanyl,” OASAS said. “Xylazine is described as giving fentanyl ‘legs,’ meaning it may…
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