NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The opioid crisis continues to affect communities across the country and researchers are saying its impact has reached new levels.
The use of fentanyl together with stimulants like cocaine and meth is driving what they're calling the "Fourth Wave."
The first wave began because of the rise in prescription opioids starting in the early 2000s, the second by heroin's rise starting around 2010 and the third, fentanyl, around 2013.
Now the fourth has become known as more people are mixing together fentanyl with other stimulants, knowingly and unknowingly.
The overdose epidemic has taken a heartbreaking toll on Nashville with just one other city in the country having a higher overdose death rate.
Davidson county's total last year, 754 deaths, made Nashville the second worst place in the country for overdose deaths. Fentanyl was detected in more than 77 percent of the cases.
As of this year, 332 people died of an overdose in Nashville in the first half of this year. The county's overdose death count has gotten higher every year since 2016, however, If the trend continues this year the numbers may be lower than 2022.
Researchers said understanding how people use drugs is crucial to stopping the overdose crisis and helping people get treatment. Treatments like Narcan are now available over the counter to offer immediate help.
