Macomb Sheriff Links 6 Overdoses In A Week To Bad Batch Of Heroin

In the last week, Macomb Sheriffs reported six overdoses that they say are possibly linked to heroin sold out of Mt. Clemens. The Macomb County Sheriff is warning area residents about a particularly dangerous “bad batch” of heroin he says may be laced with the powerful prescription opioid Fentanyl. While four of the overdoses proved fatal, one pair, a brother and sister, survived after Macomb deputies gave them the overdose-countering drug Narcan.

"We don't want anyone to use illegal substances, ever,” Macomb Sheriff Anthony Wickersham said in a release, adding, “We all know what drugs can do, however, with this particular batch of heroin that is spreading through the Mt. Clemens area, we want people to know that it is a deadly decision."

In response to these deaths and so many others in the current national opioid crisis, Macomb County is hosting a free community conference on the topic. Community in Crisis: Macomb’s Response to the Opioid Epidemic, takes place Wednesday, Dec 13 from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. at the Macomb Intermediate School District Educational Service Center, 44001 Garfield Rd, Clinton Township.

According to MLive, opioid prescriptions increased 41% statewide from 2009 to 2015, and in 2016, Michigan doctors wrote over 11 million opioid drug prescriptions - about one full bottle of pills for every man, woman and child in the state.