Fentanyl in the Massachusetts Drug Supply: What To Know

Fentanyl in Massachusetts remains a serious public health threat, but recent news indicates that the epidemic may be subsiding. Overdose deaths, emergency room visits, and calls to emergency medical services related to the drug have declined considerably in the past few years.

Contact Lake Avenue Recovery today to begin fentanyl addiction treatment in Massachusetts. 

History of Fentanyl in Massachusetts

Fentanyl was initially synthesized in Belgium in 1960, and it first earned approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1968. Physicians continue to prescribe the drug today, primarily to treat patients who have been experiencing severe pain due to cancer and/or surgery.

According to a November 2019 article in the journal Translational Psychiatry, in the late 1970s illicit manufacturers began to synthesize fentanyl and similar substances called analogs for the purpose of selling them as heroin substitutes or surreptitiously adding them to other street drugs.

Though the number of fentanyl-related overdoses rose throughout the 1980s and 1990s, it wasn’t until the 2000s that the problem began to increase exponentially.

As noted in a March 2026 report by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH), fentanyl entered the state’s street drug supply in the mid-2010s. Every year since 2015, it has been the most common substance found in the systems of people who died from opioid-involved overdoses.

Fentanyl Statistics in Massachusetts

Three key indicators of the impact of fentanyl in Massachusetts are overdose deaths, emergency room visits, and emergency medical services calls involving the drug. 

Overdose deaths

After rising for nearly a decade, the annual number of overdose deaths in Massachusetts that involved fentanyl and other opioids has decreased considerably over the past few years.

According to a June 5 DPH press release, preliminary data indicates that there were 978 opioid-related overdose deaths in Massachusetts in 2025. If that data is confirmed, it will mark the first year since 2013 that the state recorded fewer than 1,000 opioid-involved deaths.

If confirmed, the 2025 total will also represent:

• A 26.8% decrease from 2024, when the state had 1,336 opioid-related overdose deaths
• A 58.6% decrease from 2022, when the annual number of opioid-related overdose deaths in Massachusetts peaked at 2,364

The March 2026 report cited in the previous section included a more detailed look at overdose deaths from 2024 that involved opioids. Those details included:

• The 1,336 opioid-involved overdose deaths in 2024 represented a 37% drop from 2023.
• Fentanyl was a factor in 89% of the opioid-related deaths in 2024. 
• 2024 was the first year since 2018 that fentanyl was present in fewer than 90% of opioid-involved overdose deaths in Massachusetts.

The March 2026 DPH report also included information about the people who died from opioid-involved overdoses in 2024:

• 57% of those who died had at least one mental health disorder. Depression and anxiety (38% each) were the most common mental illnesses.
• 72% of the deaths in 2024 involved people who were assigned male at birth, and 28% involved people who were assigned female at birth. 
• This approximate ratio of three male deaths for every female death has remained relatively consistent over the previous 10 years.
• 14 of the opioid-involved overdose deaths involved people who were at work when they died.  Opioid-involved overdoses have been the leading cause of workplace death in Massachusetts every year since 2016.

ER visits & EMS calls

Dangerous but nonfatal experiences involving fentanyl and other opioids are tracked by the Massachusetts Bureau of Substance Addiction Services (BSAS).

During the 12-month period from July 2024 to June 2025:

• Fentanyl and other opioids were involved in 8,846 emergency room (ER) visits and 14,238 emergency medical services (EMS) calls.
• 5,606 of the ER visits (63.4% of the total) involved men and 3,219 (36.4%) involved women.
• Opioid-related ER visits have fallen for three straight years after peaking at 12,861 from July 2021—June 2022. 
• Opioid-related EMS calls in Massachusetts have declined for four consecutive years.

Fentanyl Overdose

The ability to recognize the symptoms of a fentanyl overdose and the knowledge of how best to respond can make a literal life-or-death difference.

Overdose symptoms

Typical signs of a fentanyl overdose include:

• Constricted (pinpoint) pupils
• Awake but unable to respond
• Unconscious and unable to be awakened
• Slow heart rate and/or faint pulse
• Slow, shallow, or otherwise irregular breathing
• Making a gurgling or snoring sound
• Blue, purple, or grey coloring on skin near lips and fingertips
• Skin that is cool or clammy to the touch

How to respond to a fentanyl overdose

If you are with someone who exhibits the signs of a fentanyl overdose:

• Call 911 immediately and stay with the person until the first responders arrive.
• Try to wake the person by speaking their name very loudly and rubbing your knuckles against the middle of their chest.
• If you cannot wake them up, roll them onto their side with their top knee bent and top hand below their face. This is known as the recovery position, and it can prevent them from choking if they vomit.
• If you have naloxone (Narcan), administer it either right before or right after you call 911.

Even if the person is revived with Narcan, they still need to be seen by a healthcare professional. Narcan’s effects typically wear off in 30-90 minutes. Depending on the amount of fentanyl in the person’s system, they may still be at risk of overdose when this occurs.

Find Treatment for Fentanyl Addiction in Massachusetts

If you or someone that you care for has become addicted to fentanyl or any other opioid, Lake Avenue Recovery is here to help.

Our outpatient rehab in Worcester, MA, is a trusted source of personalized care for adults whose lives have been disrupted by substance use disorders (addictions) and co-occurring mental health concerns.

Programming options include: 

• High-intensity outpatient treatment: 6 hours per day, 5 days per week
• Intensive outpatient program (IOP): 3.5 hours per day, up to 4 days per week, with both day and evening sessions available

In each program, you can expect to receive customized treatment and comprehensive support from a team of highly skilled professionals. Working together, we can help you find your path toward improved health and a more hopeful future in recovery.

To learn more about how we can help you or a loved one, or to schedule a free assessment, please visit our Admissions page or call us today.