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Ohio Flags Sharp Rise in Carfentanil Detections Across 46 Counties

State chemists say the upswing is driving harder-to-reverse overdoses.

Overview

  • BCI has identified carfentanil in 199 items so far in 2025 from 46 counties, led by Franklin (31), Delaware (17) and Fairfield (13).
  • Levels remain below the 2017 peak of 1,119 samples but have surged from nine in 2023 and 40 in 2024.
  • Analysts report the drug appearing alone or mixed with fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine, with samples increasingly containing multiple substances.
  • BCI recently detected the rare opioid cychlorphine at a Fairfield non-fatal overdose involving fentanyl and xylazine, where several naloxone doses were needed.
  • Attorney General Dave Yost issued a statewide caution, warning that nonprescribed drugs carry lethal risks from unpredictable synthetic opioid combinations.