By Associated Press - Monday, May 1, 2017

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - Rhode Island behavioral health officials are warning treatment providers that cocaine is being laced with the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl.

The Providence Journal reports (https://bit.ly/2qmSjt3 ) that officials at the state Department of Behavioral Healthcare confirmed Monday they are urging treatment providers to begin offering naloxone, an overdose reversal drug, to all clients with a history of cocaine use.

Officials say fentanyl is the second most common drug detected in drug samples seized by law enforcement so far this year. Forty-eight of the samples that detected fentanyl were heroin, 37 were cocaine.

Officials say the test results were the latest in a series of reports the department received of fentanyl in the cocaine supply, which prompted the agency to notify just over a dozen providers.

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Information from: The Providence Journal, https://www.providencejournal.com

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