The explosion of opioid overdoses and deaths in America and in Michigan has been well documented. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were more than 2,300 drug overdose deaths in Michigan in 2016, an increase of almost 20-percent over the previous year.
At a recent conference in Lansing, experts discussed the role internet technology could play in fighting the spread of opioid use.
WKAR’s Scott Pohl talks with Dr. Joyce deJong of the Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine. She serves as the medical examiner for 11 Michigan counties.
Dr. deJong says that in nearly every opioid related fatality, including illicit cases involving heroin or fentanyl, there was a previous prescription for an opioid.
