Lancaster police addressing rise in aggressive panhandling, overdoses downtown

Lancaster city police said they are working to address aggressive panhandling and overdoses associated with fentanyl and synthetic cannabinoids, commonly known as K2 or synthetic marijuana.

"These challenges are straining public resources among first responders which include police, fire, and EMS and significantly reducing the health and safety of our public spaces in the downtown area," the police department said in a release Thursday.

"We are actively working to address and reduce these concerns through increased proactive enforcement and collaboration with community partners," police said.

Synthetic cannabinoids are recreational drugs made in labs and can contain various chemicals unknown to the user and therefore, effects can vary significantly, according to police.

Despite being known as synthetic marijuana, police said the drug is more unpredictable and dangerous than natural cannabis.

Bob May, executive director of Lancaster EMS, the county's largest emergency medical services provider, said overdose calls have been stressing the 911 system, though his agency has been able to handle the calls so far.

"We've had a significant increase since mid-October in the city," May said Friday. "We are seeing sometimes more than one patient at one time at the same location,"

In some cases, he said responders will take someone to the hospital for overdose care and respond later that day to a call about the same person who overdosed again after being discharged.

Within the past month, Lancaster EMS responded to one person who died, and May said he believes the death was overdose-related. However, an autopsy would be required to confirm the cause of death, and Lancaster EMS wouldn't be informed of the results, he said.

Besides straining staff, the increased overdoses are cutting into supplies of IV fluids, May said, though Lancaster EMS has enough onhand.

"We are utilizing more IV fluid and we are being cautious with our supply but we are not not withholding treatment," May said.

Health care providers across the country have been impacted by the shutdown of IV and sterile fluids producer Baxter International Inc.'s plant in North Cove, North Carolina , because of damage from remnants of Hurricane Helene in September.

The plant made about 60% of the IV solutions used in the country, according to the American Hospital Association.