Dozens of Drug Overdoses Reported in Binghamton in Past Two Weeks

Binghamton Mayor Jared Kraham is expressing concern at the high number of drug overdoses that have occurred since he took office last month.

Speaking at City Hall on Thursday, Kraham said about four dozen overdose incident have been reported in Binghamton so far this year. He said more than half of them have occurred over the last couple of weeks.

The mayor said three people have died in the city as a result of drug overdoses since January 1.

Kraham and local drug treatment experts believe most of the spike in overdoses is linked to fentanyl. He said "the product on the street today is deadly."

Carmela Pirich, executive director of the Addiction Center of Broome County, said "it's not safe to use alone."

Pirich also said counterfeit pills that contain fentanyl "pose a grave, grave danger" to users.

Kraham and Pirich stressed the importance of having naloxone - marketed as Narcan - available to reverse the effects of an overdose.

People can contact that Addiction Center of Broome County in Binghamton for information about naloxone training or how to obtain fentanyl test strips to determine if a drug has been contaminated.

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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.