East Haddam/Haddam Residents Died Of Overdoses In First Half Of 2017

Connecticut for the first time in history is on pace to have 1,000 fatal overdoses by the end of the year. From January to June 2017 there were a total of 539 overdoses that weren't purely caused by alcohol. The vast majority involve some kind of opioid.

At the current rate there will be 1,078 overdoses by year's end. That would represent an increase of 18 percent from 917 in 2016. There were 729 in 2015. Overdose deaths have skyrocketed from 357 in 2012.

Haddam had 1 fatal overdose in town and 1 resident was killed. There were 1.20 deaths per 10,000 residents.

East Haddam had 1 fatal overdose in town and 1 resident was killed. There were 1.10 deaths per 10,000 residents.

"The vast majority of these continue to be due to the abuse of opioids," said the state's Chief Medical Examiner Dr. James Gill. "Fentanyl has surpassed heroin as the most common opioid of abuse."

Fentanyl was involved in 322 deadly overdoses from January to June and is projected to be involved in 644 by year's end. That is an increase from 483 in 2016 and 189 in 2015. The powerful synthetic opioid was involved in 14 overdoses in 2012. (To sign up for free, local breaking news alerts from more than 100 Connecticut communities click here.)

The state also had four fatal overdoses that involved carfentanil, a synthetic opioid that is 10,000 times more powerful than morphine and 100 times more potent than fentanyl. Fentanyl is 100 times more powerful than morphine and 50 times stronger than heroin.

The towns that lost the most residents to fatal overdoses are:

1. Hartford: 30
2. New Britain: 25
3. Waterbury: 24
4. Bridgeport: 22
5. Norwich: 19

Towns with populations over 10,000 with the highest per capita number of residents killed (deaths per 10,000 residents):

1. Norwich: 4.73
2. Torrington: 3.98
3. New London: 3.65
4. New Britain: 3.43
5. Newington: 3.26