NDHP: Deaths blamed on Fentanyl exceeded traffic fatalities in 2021

(Fargo, ND) -- The North Dakota Highway Patrol says last year the number of overdose deaths in the state exceeded the number of traffic fatalities. There were 101 traffic fatalities and 118 overdose deaths. A majority of those deaths are blamed on Fentanyl.

"When you think of Fentanyl, [it's] up to 50 times as potent as morphine. This is what I've told people, if I went to the hospital and broke a bone and they gave me one shot of morphine I'd be feeling no pain. If you gave me fifty, I'd be in trouble. I would need some serious medical intervention. That is why [we] have this focus on Fentanyl is such a big deal," said Colonel Brandon Solberg, the Superintendent of the North Dakota Highway Patrol.   

Solberg is now serving as the state's representative in the American Governor's Border Strike Force. It's a coalition of 25 states, all led by republican governors, providing resources aimed at stepping up law enforcement along the southern border. Much of the Fentanyl entering the country is coming through the southern border.