The fentanyl crisis in Ohio

Why fentanyl is uniquely dangerous

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid roughly 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. Because it's so potent, an amount as small as two milligrams — about the size of a few grains of salt — can be lethal for many people. That tiny margin is what makes it so deadly.

It's also cheap to produce and is increasingly mixed into other drugs — heroin, counterfeit prescription pills, and even stimulants like cocaine. Many people who overdose never intended to take fentanyl at all. There's no way to see, smell, or taste it in another substance.

How Ohio got here

Ohio has been one of the states hardest hit by the opioid epidemic. What began with prescription painkillers in the 2000s shifted to heroin, and then to fentanyl, which now drives the overwhelming majority of overdose deaths in the state. Behind every statistic is a person — a parent, a child, a coworker, a friend.

The crisis touches every community, urban and rural, wealthy and working-class. But there's real reason for hope: Ohio's unintentional overdose deaths fell for a second straight year in 2023 — down about 14% from the 2021 peak — as expanded access to treatment, medication-assisted recovery, and overdose-reversal drugs help more Ohioans survive and recover than ever before.