Drug overdose deaths are down, but law enforcement fears that could change

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - Drug overdose deaths have dropped across the country and in South Carolina.

But law enforcement warns that trend might not stay that way because of new drugs coming onto the market.

Assistant Special Agent in Charge Michael Tooley with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Columbia office told reporters Thursday it is difficult to pinpoint exactly why overdose deaths are going down.

But he does think public awareness of the dangers and the prevalence of reversal drugs like Narcan plays a part.

“But this new drug, that stuff’s ineffective. So it doesn’t matter. That drug will plow right through that stuff and will not have an effect, so we could see that number start to increase,” US Attorney for the District of South Carolina Bryan Stirling said.

Those new drugs