The Massachusetts Department of Public Health says nearly 2,000 people died from opioid-related overdoses last year and the synthetic drug fentanyl was present almost 70% of the time. That is a four-fold increase from just two years ago.
On Cape Cod there were 70 opioid-related deaths with Barnstable and Falmouth reporting the most; 22 and 15 respectively.
Meanwhile, Governor Charlie Baker is being tapped by President Trump to sit on a commission aimed at fighting drug addiction and the opioid crises.