Opioid overdoses on the rise

Governor Doug Ducey recently declared a statewide health emergency in response to a opioid death rise in the state of Arizona. On Monday a new report showed that the deaths from opioid overdoses increased by 16 percent last year and in 5 years the number of overdose deaths in Arizona has gone up by almost 75 percent. Prescription opioid use seems to be more common due to it being legally prescribed, thus users can get it more readily. Myra Garlit, the Executive Director of Crossroads Mission in Yuma explains the impact opioids have had on some of the people she has seen come through the mission. “The problem is some people get addicted to prescription drugs and then they seek it. What a lot of the younger kids do is they take the drugs from mom or dad or grandma or grandpa’s drug cabinet and then start using them as a recreational thing and it turns into an addiction,” said Garlit . In total 790 Arizonians died of opioid overdoses in 2016 and governor Doug Ducey wants to develop ways in which health care facilities can better provide education to residents along with expand access to treatment.