There is no denying that the whole country is going through a difficult period concerning opioids. This epidemic is a serious situation that tears families apart and ruins lives. While it is very easy to believe that it is not happening in your backyard, the reality is that Florence, South Carolina, is not immune to it. Looking at the statistics from Florence County in 2016 show a sad story about how opioids are affecting your community.
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control explains that in the state in 2016, there was a total of 550 deaths attributed to opioids. This was an increase of 14 percent over the reported deaths in 2015. The shocking fact is that more people died from opioids than were killed in homicides in 2016.
Looking specifically at Florence County, there were 15 deaths due to opioids in 2016. However, that is just a small look at the crisis. When you consider that Naloxone was given 161 times in the county as well, you can see that the number of deaths could have been much higher. Thankfully, many law enforcement officers in the county are a part of the Law Enforcement Officer Naloxone program, which trains officers to administer the drug and provides them with it. This is a life saver for many people who overdose. In the state, the saving of 87 lives has been contributed to LEON.
The numbers do not lie. Any life lost due to these drugs is a tragedy, but law enforcement works hard to prevent that from happening. This information is for education and is not legal advice.