Credit: Eric Sandy / Scene
There were at least 822 overdose deaths in Cuyahoga County in 2017 — from heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, carfentanil and other opioids — according to a report from the county’s medical examiner.

The surge — 156 more than the previous year — is not surprising. Opioids are a continuing and growing public health emergency, and the numbers bear that out.


The stats, sadly, are preliminary and don’t include finalized causes of death on 50 pending cases from December on which the department is still awaiting results.

If there is a bright side, it’s that it could have been even worse. If not for the efforts of Project DAWN, the overdose education and naloxone distribution program created by Dr. Joan Papp of MetroHealth that’s grown from pilot program to statewide resource, the report estimated the death toll would have eclipsed 1300.


More details — such as an increase in African American overdose deaths involving fentanyl, which tracks with an alarming national trend — and stunning stats — there were 867 more fentanyl-related deaths in the past two years than the previous 10 — can be found in the report.

This article appears in Jan 3-9, 2018.

Vince Grzegorek has been with Scene since 2007 and editor-in-chief since 2012. He previously worked at Discount Drug Mart and Texas Roadhouse.

2 replies on “At Least 822 Overdose Deaths in Cuyahoga County in 2017, Medical Examiner Reports”

  1. Not too long ago,1970’s,New York had a crazy heroin situation people seem to have forgotten about. One of the most helpful solutions was that methadone clinics were opened on just about every corner. Today methadone is one of the most regulate drugs we have to fight addition but it can’t/won’t be used. There are better ways to helps. We just don’t bother to use them.

  2. Don’t do heroin ever. It causes an instant addiction and will likely kill you when you decide to use a regular amount after detoxing.

    You think you can hide the addiction but it costs $80 a day just to feel ok so it becomes the primary expense and all other aspects of life get neglected.

    Most people start because they hookup with someone romantically who convinces them to try it because someone else convinced them to try it. Beware, they usually start with pills and then they bring in the heroin because the pills won’t work anymore. “We’ll just smoke (or snort) it” they say, but a month later they are shooting it and convincing you to shoot with them and you think you’re in love with this person because opiates make you feel good so you do and then.. your life is over.

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