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Child drug-related deaths climb in KS

By Brian Hagen

10/04/2022

(KAIR)--Kansas has seen an increase in child drug and fentanyl-related deaths while it also saw a slight decrease in youth suicides. That's according to a report from WIBW TV, which cites the Kansas Attorney General’s Office as saying that the State Child Death Review Board reported that the Sunflower State recorded an increase in the number of drug-related deaths in children between the ages of 0 and 17 - including a speedy rise related to fentanyl.

The board’s 2022 report analyzes the deaths of Kansas children which happened during the calendar year - the most recent year for which data is available. It found that the number of drug-related deaths rose to 16 in 2020 - up from five in 2019. There were 11 fentanyl-related deaths in 2020 after none were reported in the past four years.

Nationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported nearly 500,000 Americans of all ages died from overdoses involving both illicit and prescribed drugs between 1999 and 2019.

In recent years, both statewide and nationwide, the data indicates an increase in the use of synthetic opioids like fentanyl. While fentanyl is a prescription drug, the Office noted that it is also manufactured illegally. Frequently, it said fentanyl is incorporated into illegally manufactured pressed pills and mixed with other substances without the user’s knowledge.

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