Head of Phoenix DEA says opioid epidemic ‘has not yet peaked’

PHOENIX — The head of the Drug Enforcement Administration in Phoenix said the current opioid epidemic is the worst he’s seen in the three decades that he has been on the job.

“This is a problem, it’s a major problem. These are the things we have to worry about,” Doug Coleman, the special agent in charge for the DEA office in Phoenix, told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Wednesday.

“Just recently we had a report come out that found that 950, roughly, Arizonans died of opioid-related overdoses last year,” he added.

“Every day in the U.S. we’re losing 115 people to (the opioid epidemic). It’s a major drug epidemic.”

Coleman said with the amount of fentanyl and heroin being seized at the border on the rise, he believes the opioid epidemic “has not yet peaked.”

He added that the department seized enough fentanyl powder and pills in Arizona last year to kill about 50 million Americans.

“There’s a lot of (drugs) coming across,” he said. “We need to be really careful about these things.”

According to the Arizona Department of Health Services, there were 10,401 possible opioid overdoses reported between June 15, 2017 and Aug. 9 of this year, with 16 percent of those being fatal.

Officials in Arizona have been working to fight the opioid epidemic since 2017, when Gov. Doug Ducey declared a health emergency after data showed there was a growing number of opioid overdose deaths in the state.

Ducey also signed a bill into law earlier this year that was designed to crack down on opioid use and overdose deaths in the state.

The law bars doctors from prescribing more than an initial five-day supply of pain medication in most cases, boosts pain clinic regulation and adds $10 million to help uninsured and underinsured people get addiction treatment.

It requires electronic prescriptions for narcotics as early as next year.

The law places limits on the maximum dose most chronic pain patients can be prescribed, and requires a consultation with a pain specialist for new high dosage prescriptions.

The law also includes a “good Samaritan” provision that bars prosecution of someone who seeks help for an overdose victim if they’re discovered with drugs as a result. Similarly, an overdose victim can’t be prosecuted for drug possession when they call for help.

National companies have also joined the effort to battle the opioid epidemic in Arizona: Blue Cross Blue Shield launched a $10 million program this week in an effort to address the misuse of opioids and other substances and reduce overdose-related deaths in Arizona.

Walgreens also announced Thursday that it would expand its safe medication disposal kiosks to 35 locations across Arizona. The kiosks allow Arizonans to dispose of unwanted over-the-counter medications, prescriptions or controlled substances — including opioids.

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Mark Carlson contributed to this report. 

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