Opioids And Tobacco Hurting Hoosiers
NOVEMBER 1, 2018 
TYRONE MORRIS INDIANA
More than 14,000 Hoosiers died last year from drugs and tobacco. That’s according to the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation which says most of those deaths came from smoking and second-hand smoke.
For the fourth straight year, the number of Hoosiers dying from opioid overdoses has grown killing a little more than 1,100 Hoosiers in 2017. The number of tobacco-related deaths is seven times higher than that.
Drug-Free Marion County Randy Miller says, “Even if we turn the corner on overdose deaths, which is a great thing. Fewer people are dying. That doesn’t factor in the number of folks whose lives are still being ruined by opioids or some other drug.â€
While tobacco use hasn’t seen a drop since 2013 early reports for 2018 in Marion County show overdoses may be starting to go down.
