Rock County Public Health raises awareness about impact of mixing cocaine and fentanyl

ROCK COUNTY, Wis. (WMTV) - The Rock County Public Health Department is raising awareness about the rising number of drug-related deaths involving a mix of cocaine and fentanyl.

The department said fentanyl-use is a rising cause of death in Rock County and has become the leading cause of drug-related deaths in recent years.

“Right now, cocaine is the number one co-occurring controlled substance with fentanyl,” Lieutenant Mike Blaser of the Janesville Police Department said.

Data from the Rock County Public Health Department shows that in 2021, 26% of drug-related deaths involved both fentanyl and cocaine. In the first five months of 2022, 48% of drug-related deaths involved the two drugs.

Rock County Public Health said fentanyl can be put in cocaine or used simultaneously, and oftentimes, the user doesn’t know the fentanyl is there. This can lead to fentanyl poisoning or death, and it only takes a small amount to overdose. The substance has also been found in other drugs and medications, the department said.

The department recommends that anyone who purchases or uses illicit drugs assumes their drugs have some amount of fentanyl and takes precautions. Precautions should include never using alone, keeping Narcan nearby and testing drugs for fentanyl before using.

A list of Narcan Direct providers can be found on their website here. Additionally, fentanyl test strip providers can be found here.

The Rock County Public Health Department received a grant from the National Association of County and City Health Officials to address opioid overdoses in Rock County. From the grant, Rock County will implement new initiatives including an improved substance misuse data dashboard, an overdose spike alert system, awareness campaigns, anti-stigma trainings and post-overdose resource kits.

After seeing the most drug-involved deaths in recorded history in 2021 in Rock County, Rock County is encouraging anyone who is personally or knows someone who is struggling with addiction to seek treatment.

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