Opioids

Information about opioids, treatment facilities, syringe disposal and other resources.

Opioids are drugs that have been plaguing our city for more than a decade. The drugs affect the user, their family, their friends and the community.

The opioid epidemic began in the 1990s with the overprescribing of prescriptions to treat pain. This led to the abuse of opioids and the growing number of fatal and non-fatal overdoses we see today
Four Minnesotans die each day from drug overdoses
Minnesota Opioid deaths from 2020 to 2021 increased by 36 percent

Fatal opioid overdoses by year

Year	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Minnesota	422	343	427	678	924
Minneapolis	83	74	86	146	197

In 2021, Minneapolis had 20 percent of the opioid deaths in the state
- Minneapolis makes up 8 percent of the state's population
Fentanyl is the most common opioid being abused in our City. It’s a synthetic opioid approved for treating pain. It can be:
- Up to 50 times stronger than heroin
- 100 times stronger than morphine
Illegally made fentanyl is linked to the increase in fatal and non-fatal overdoses
Three grains of salt are about how much fentanyl it takes to kill a person

Mayor Frey’s Multi-Jurisdictional Task Force on Opioids

Learn more about fentanyl from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Learn more about Minnesota's opioid epidemic from the Minnesota Department of Health

Treatment programs

The following is a directory of treatment programs for substance use disorder.

Education

Understanding the dangers of opioids gives insight into helping your loved one.

Harm reduction

Harm reduction is the practice of creating safe places for people with addiction use.

The City and its residents are concerned about the growing amounts of syringe litter. Syringe litter creates a:

Public health hazard
Risk of injury
Spread of disease

What to do

Syringe drop boxes are an effective way to decrease syringe litter. You can find drop boxes in neighborhoods around the city.

Picking up needles without proper training could be dangerous. If you come across syringes in your community or you need information on drop box locations, contact 311.

Safe syringe programs

A syringe service program aims to help people use syringes more safely. This helps reduce infection that can be spread by sharing needles, such as:

HIV
Viral hepatitis

Syringe exchange programs and free Narcan

These organizations provide syringe services to area residents:

Examples of services provided by these organizations include:

HIV and hepatitis C prevention and testing
Naloxone kits and training
Sterile syringes at no cost
Referrals for substance abuse treatment and recovery support

Culturally specific counseling

Information on culturally-specific programs

Legal support

Find legal help for those dealing with drug-related criminal cases.

Rule 25 - chemical use assessments

Rule 25 is a type of alcohol and/or drug assessment in Minnesota. The purpose of the rule 25 is to assess an individual’s substance use and determine if a person can be diagnosed with a substance use disorder. Substance use disorder is the medical term for alcoholism or drug addiction.