Major jump in fatal Maryland drug overdoses

Alarming numbers are coming from Maryland’s health department. They say the state has had a twenty one percent increase in fatal drug overdoes in 2014, this in comparison to the previous year.

The report says more than one thousand people died from overdoses in 2014 that’s up sixty percent from 2010.

About eighty six percent of the deaths involved opioids like heroin and prescription drugs.

Below are the numbers for heroin-related deaths for counties on the Eastern Shore:

Dorchester County- 0 Deaths

Somerset County- 1 Death

Talbot County 4 Deaths

Caroline County 6 Deaths

Worcester County 6 Deaths

Queen Anne’s County 7 Deaths

Wicomico County 12 Deaths

The highest concentration of overdose deaths was in Baltimore City. Earlier this year, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan created an emergency task force and a separate council to address the state’s growing heroin problem.