‘A deadly combination’: excessive heat adds to Arizona opioid epidemic’s toll

Opioid fatalities - driven by synthetics such as fentanyl - in the state were up 80% last year compared with 2018 and punishing heat is making things worse

Andy Brack was out cold with his head slumped back on the driver's seat of a white pickup truck, a faint blue tinge around his lips. His friend, Ellen, had called 911 after the 50-year-old lost consciousness while driving to the store.

Brack had been smoking fentanyl for two days straight, according to Ellen, who managed to stop the vehicle from crashing. It was around 4.30pm and boiling outside, almost 108F (42C), and the pickup didn't have air conditioning. She was doing CPR compressions when the paramedics arrived.