Metro Nashville Police Department handed out kits for Narcan, medicine that can treat drug overdoses in emergency situations, to about 40 homeless people on Monday in response to a spike in overdoses on Sunday and Monday.
Detectives are investigating the overdose spike, according to an MNPD press release. In only one incident downtown, eight individuals overdosed together, causing two fatalities while the other six were revived with Narcan.
The release stated the most common substance involved in the recent overdoses was “a white rock material being sold on the street as crack cocaine which appears to have a high concentration of fentanyl.”
The Tennessee Star inquired of MNPD about the number of overdoses on Sunday and Monday when the spike occurred, whether MNPD knows the source of the fentanyl, and what MNPD is doing to combat drug overdoses. MNPD did not respond before press time.
Fentanyl has been detected in about 63 percent of all overdose deaths in Nashville in 2024 so far, according to the most recent drug overdose surveillance data from the Metro Public Health Department. The other two most frequent culprits are methamphetamine and cocaine. Detections of cocaine increased by about 46 percent compared to 2023, according to the data report.
However, the first quarter of 2024 has so far recorded 92 suspected overdose deaths, according to the data, which is down from the 170 deaths recorded in the first quarter of 2023 and a five-year low. The sudden drop follows a steady increase in overall overdose deaths per year since 2016 and a slight decrease in 2023.
Los Angeles County in California saw a marked decrease in overdose deaths starting in 2022 after implementing a program to distribute naloxone, the generic name for Narcan, to homeless encampments and vending machines outside of jails, The Los Angeles Times reported.
However, while overdose deaths were on the downturn following widespread naloxone distribution to homeless and previously imprisoned individuals, there was no data on trends for overdoses themselves. This leaves open the possibility that overall overdoses could increase while the death rate falls due to the popular distribution of naloxone.
According to the latest data from the Tennessee Department of Health, the state suffered 3,826 overdose deaths in 2022. Overdose deaths in the state increased by about 110 percent from 2018 to 2022. Davidson County had the second most fatalities that year, not far behind Shelby County. Davidson, Shelby, and Knox counties account for 41 percent of all overdose deaths in the state.
The Tennessee General Assembly considered a bill this session that would require drug dealers who contribute to an overdose death to be charged with second-degree murder, The Star previously reported. Second-degree murder in Tennessee is a Class A felony, carrying a 13.5- to 60-year prison sentence.
Matthew Giffin is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Matthew on X/Twitter.
Photo “Narcan Nasal Spray” by The Ohio State University.