Ohio cops eye possible fentanyl after 17 overdoses in 1 day

AKRON, Ohio (AP) — Police in one Ohio city who dealt with 17 suspected heroin overdoses in one day say they believe the drugs involved in at least some cases were laced with the powerful painkiller fentanyl.

Akron police say 17 adults overdosed on Tuesday. They ranged in age from 19 to 58. In one case, a 44-year-old man died. Another case involved a woman and her two daughters.

Officials say they saw signs that the drugs involved were less responsive to the overdose antidote naloxone, sometimes referred to by its trade name, Narcan.

Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan calls the recent increase in overdoses a "public health crisis."

Police say the city had 55 heroin overdose deaths in the first half of the year.

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