Officials: More than 300 drug overdose deaths in the state

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) - Officials in New Hampshire say more than 300 people have died from drug overdoses in the state so far this year.

WMUR-TV (https://bit.ly/2fnxQvE ) reports the state medical examiner’s office says that more than two-thirds of the cases have been linked to fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that’s 50 times more potent than heroin.

Officials say 98 of the 302 cases are still pending toxicology results. They say they predict 488 overdose deaths in the state before the year ends.

The news station reports that 439 deaths were caused by drug overdoses in 2015.

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Information from: WMUR-TV, https://wmur.com