'Speedballing:' Deadly drug combo sold in Milwaukee Co. at frequency not seen in decades
MILWAUKEE COUNTY -- Officials with the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office said there is a lethal drug combination being sold on the streets of Milwaukee County at a frequency that hasn't been seen in decades. Dozens of people have already died from it.
The concerning trend is being monitored by the medical examiner.
"There is where all the analysis happens," said Sara Schreiber, forensic technical director.
Schreiber said drug-related deaths involving cocaine are slowly rising in Milwaukee County.
Sara Schreiber
"We haven't talked about it a lot," said Schreiber.
So far in 2018, 171 people have died in drug-related cases. 135 of those cases have involved heroin. 81 of those cases have included cocaine. The combination of the two drugs hasn't been seen in this frequency in a few decades.
"There's a good trend of this in the 80s, which was referred to as 'speedballing' where you mix cocaine with heroin," said Schreiber.
It's not known if the trend is back, or if users are being sold the lethal combination without their knowledge.
"I've heard anecdotally from users that they are interested in switching to cocaine because of the known dangers of abusing opioids," said Schreiber.
Schreiber said addicts may be seeking out cocaine as a safer alternative.
"In their minds, thinking that something like a stimulant that they haven't heard a lot about perhaps is a safer alternative -- that's not the case," said Schreiber.
The number of drug-related deaths will not be decreasing anytime soon. Spreading awareness is among the best life-saving measures.
"The numbers are continuing to increase. These are preventable deaths. These are deaths by choice... to use these drugs. What they don't know is what they are being exposed to," said Schrieber.
To address the rising issue of drug abuse, a community engagement session is taking place Thursday, Aug. 16 at the Civic Center in Oak Creek.