Opioid overdoses are claiming more lives in Maryland, up by 70 percent last year over the year before, to an average of five a day. Gov. Hogan declared an emergency in March.
One out of three of Maryland’s opioid overdose deaths takes place in Baltimore. We talk to Baltimore City health commissioner Dr. Leana Wen about the shortage of money to buy naloxone or Narcan, the anti-overdose injection. Then we ask Clay Stamp, head of the governor’s Opioid Operational Command Center, how the emergency is translating into an operational fight.
The state’s opioid awareness web portal is called: Before It’s Too Late. The state’s 24-hour crisis hotline number is: 1-800-422-0009.
