The opioid crisis in Dallas County is worsening, according to a recent report by Dallas County Health and Human Services and the Recovery Resource Council.
The Overdose Data to Action: Dallas County 2024 Community Health Needs Assessment shows that opioid overdoses are increasing, and rehabilitation resources are in short supply.
Between 2018 and 2023, non-fatal overdoses of opioids nearly doubled, with the number of overdose deaths continuing to climb.
Dr. Philip Huang, the director of Dallas County Health and Human Services (DCHHS), said that an increasing number of opioid deaths are related to fentanyl, a highly potent synthetic opioid.
The report shows that in 2018, fentanyl was responsible for 11.4% of all opioid-related deaths in the DFW area, but by 2022, this figure had risen to 70.5%.
“Illegal fentanyl, primarily produced in clandestine labs in China and smuggled into the U.S. through Mexico, is flooding our country and exacerbating the opioid crisis. Dallas, given its proximity and the worsening border situation, has seen a troubling rise in overdoses,” Cheryl Brown-Merriwether, executive director of the International Center for Addiction and Recovery Education, told The Dallas Express.
“… This crisis is compounded by the fact that legal fentanyl is being mixed with other illicit substances and pressed into counterfeit pills that often contain deadly doses of fentanyl. With no quality control, these drugs are a ticking time bomb,” Brown-Merriwether added.
The report notes that fentanyl has been found mixed with other drugs, such as cocaine and methamphetamine, and has been found in trace amounts in marijuana.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Xylazine, an animal tranquilizer commonly called ‘tranq’ and frequently mixed with fentanyl, is now also driving a rise in overdose deaths nationwide.
First identified as an additive in Puerto Rico in the early 2000s, Xylazine became a widely abused substance on the island by the 2010s and continues to be a major growing problem globally.
In Milwaukee County, Xylazine-fentanyl overdoses accounted for 138 of the 616 total overdose deaths in 2023, according to the Medical Examiner’s Office, as reported by Wisconsin Public Radio.
The recent report from the DCHHS also reveals severe gaps in the county’s drug rehabilitation resources, particularly for adolescents. There are currently no inpatient treatment facilities available for people under 18, and the demand for treatment continues to outpace the available services. Additionally, there are significant barriers for Spanish-speaking residents seeking help, according to Fox 4 KDFW.
In response to these issues, community forums such as the “Dallas Fights Fentanyl” event at Townview Center have been organized to educate and involve the public. These forums emphasize the need for better mental health support and accessible substance abuse treatment within the city.
The Recovery Resource Council is also advocating for improved access to treatment and increased funding from settlements with pharmaceutical companies, reported Fox 4.
“The key to combating this epidemic lies in education, awareness, and prevention, addressing the catastrophic impact of substance misuse and creating psychological safety for open discussions about addiction. Only through these efforts can we offer those struggling the chance for help before it’s too late,” Brown-Merriwether told The Dallas Express.