The overdoses were from a range of drugs — prescribed and not — including fentanyl, cocaine, xylazine, synthetic cannabis, methadone and antipsychotic medications. Data from the state Department of Correction obtained through an FOI request shows 74 “suspected overdoses” across 11 facilities from January through July 2025. The number of overdoses and overdose deaths reflects the intractable, overlapping challenges facing the Department of Correction: keeping illegal drugs out of state prisons and adequately treating addiction within them. Rudy Demiraj, a representative for the correction officers union, said the presence of K2 was causing a “dangerous and volatile environment” inside the prisons. Devlin said many people who regularly visit prison facilities — correction officers, maintenance workers, outside vendors — aren’t screened when they enter, and he suggested that the DOC employ more sophisticated testing processes.