DA Andrea Harrington says drug users in the Berkshires might be ingesting more than they bargained for, with potentially lethal consequences.
“We had a number of overdoses that occurred in Pittsfield towards the middle to the end of May for individuals who believed that they were consuming cocaine, and it turned out that there was fentanyl within those particular drugs,” Harrington told WAMC.
Residents looking for more information on overdose prevention can find it from groups like the Berkshire Overdose Addiction Prevention Collaborative. Recently released public health data showed an almost 9% rise in overdose deaths in Massachusetts in 2021, with Pittsfield among state hotspots. Fentanyl was present in 93 percent of deaths where a toxicology report was available.
