Heroin Overdoses Spike in Brockton

Heroin needles. (Photo via AP)

The heroin epidemic plaguing the state saw a particularly awful outbreak this week in Brockton, where 25 people overdosed in just two days.

Authorities in Brockton are attributing the recent surge in overdoses to a nasty strain of heroin currently on the black market. First responders have successfully managed to revive all suffering from an overdose with Narcan, an emergency response medication that rapidly counteracts the effects of opioids during an overdose. Brockton typical experiences three overdoses a day, but this week they had 16 on Wednesday alone.

In an interview with the Boston Herald, Brockton Mayor Bill Carpenter said the city is trying to sound the alarm about this particularly potent batch of heroin on its streets.

“We need there to be awareness that there is a particularly dangerous batch of heroin going through the Brockton area right now,” Carpenter told the Herald.

Brockton Fire Chief Michael Williams told the Brockton Enterprise that Wednesday was possibly a record for the number of overdoses the department has responded to.

“It’s scary. This has happened in the past where we have one day where we have several overdoses. But 16 is probably the most I’ve seen. Luckily none of them were fatal,” said Williams.

Brockton Police are investigating the current strain to determine if there is something in it that makes it more addictive or powerful. Police Chief John Crowley believes it may be fentanyl, a powerful painkiller that some reportedly are now injecting directly instead of heroin.