A new report from the state's auditor general uses statistics to both describe how the fentanyl crisis has hurt Pennsylvanians and to make recommendations on how to better combat the drug.

Fentanyl, a powerful painkiller, is widely pointed to as the cause of nationwide increases in overdose deaths. The drug is a synthetic opioid that's frequently mixed into other addictive substances, such as methamphetamines or heroin, dramatically ramping up their strength and deadly nature.

Fentanyl contributed to a 65 percent increase in overdose deaths nationwide between 2015 and 2017, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.

In Butler County, overdose deaths spiked in 2017 at 92 deaths, according to data compiled by OverdoseFreePA.

As of Oct. 17, Butler County has had 42 overdose deaths in 2019, according to the Butler County Coroner's Office. In 2018, there were 46 deaths.

The new report, which Auditor General Eugene DePasquale published Wednesday, paints a picture of opioid problems that need to be resolved at multiple levels of government.

On the state level, the report calls for Pennsylvania to legalize and fund fentanyl test strips, which can be used to determine whether a drug contains fentanyl.

Donna Jenereski, director of Butler County's drug and alcohol program, said she thinks legalizing the strips here could help.

“I definitely support the ability to hand out the strips,” Jenereski said. “It's one more tool that we (could) have. It's not going to solve the problem, but it could prevent overdoses and save lives.”

The report also suggests increased access to medical treatment for addicts — whether by helping doctors get certified to prescribe detox-assisting drugs, such as Suboxone, or by incentivizing students to study substance abuse disorder counseling.

Pennsylvania is among the leading states struggling with the drug's devastation — in 2017, it was the third worst behind West Virginia and Ohio. The report notes that since 2017, the state's overall death rates have declined similarly to Butler County. This is attributed, according to the report, to increased access to naloxone and decreases in opioid prescriptions.

Jenereski doesn't see those declines in her work, and she noted that although Butler's current number of overdose deaths is lower now than last year, it's higher than it was at this point in 2018.

“When I'm talking to law enforcement or emergency responders, they're seeing fentanyl,” she said.

The report goes in-depth on how the chemicals used to make fentanyl make it into local markets. The chemicals, it said, “are primarily manufactured in China.”

“Experts suggest that the Trump administration must more clearly outline where fentanyl falls on the negotiating list, as fentanyl will be a low priority for the Chinese, especially if the trade war continues,” the report states.

Most of the fentanyl coming into the United States is delivered through the mail, according to the report. The second largest source is ordinary travel through legal ports of entry through the Mexican border.

“The increase in fentanyl smuggling via the border is staggering,” the report states.

Federal efforts to staff the border with more security are neglecting the ports in favor of guarding long expanses without legal entrances, DePasquale said. He cites a May 2018 U.S. Senate report finding that U.S. ports of entry are understaffed by about 4,000 officers.

2019 *422018 462017 922016 742015 472014 33* so farSources: OverdoseFreePA and the Butler County Coroner’s Office