City officials urge treatment as drug overdose deaths surpass murders
 

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Drug-related overdose deaths surpassed the number of murders in New Orleans in 2016.*New Orleans health department medical director Joseph Kanter is urging*people struggling with substance abuse to seek addiction treatment.

According to New Orleans Coroner Jeffrey Rouse, of last year's record 211 drug-related deaths, 166 involved opiates ? compared to 81 in 2015.*Compared to 2015 deaths, the number of people who died with the synthetic opioid fentanyl in their system more than tripled.*There were 13 fentantyl-related deaths in 2015, when there were 93 drug-related deaths overall.*Forty-eight people died with fentanyl in their system last year.

Kanter says "unfortunately these are in line with national numbers" for drug-related deaths, which climbed to more than 50,000 in 2015. Opioids killed more than*33,000 people in 2015.

"Opioid addiction is a medical illness.?