# 151

Maryland reports that deaths from Heroin OD are down in 2018, but deaths from Cocaine and Fentanyl are up; Fentanyl deaths "continue a staggering rise."

The number of fentanyl-related deaths in Maryland reached an all-time high in 2017 and is on track to continue increasing in 2018, officials said, part of a nationwide overdose epidemic being driven by the powerful synthetic drug.

Maryland fatalities caused by fentanyl jumped 42 percent from 2016 to 2017 — from 1,119 to 1,594 — even as deaths related to heroin use declined, according to data released by the Maryland Department of Health on Thursday.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/fentanyl-related-deaths-continue-staggering-rise-in-maryland/2018/07/26/cd33f406-90fc-11e8-8322-b5482bf5e0f5_story.html?utm_term=.07592cd04e24

# 150  Don't touch that unknown substance (that you are about to self-administer) as you head-out to the Concert in England!  First, let British volunteers conduct free, chemical, test(s) and hopefully you will learn what you were poised to ingest and whether it was going to kill you - all with the blessing of Government!

Yes, following testing and no major lethality identified, the illicit substance is handed back so the self-administer can altar their mind, enjoy the trip and get high/low or somewhere in between.

Such testing programs are catching on in more countries. For the first time in Britain, the more than 200,000 attendees at last year's outdoor music festival Kendal Calling had access to a tent where their pills could be tested, according to NPR. And Australia may conduct a trial at the Spilt Milk festival in November.  Washington Post, July 11, 2018

https://www.wired.co.uk/article/drug-testing-safety-uk-festivals