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Opiate deaths on the rise
Over the past month, three teenagers have died in Texas due to overdoses from the drug Fentanyl.
While these deaths have been a tragedy, they are only the most recent victims of the deadly narcotic, which has already taken over 40,000 lives in 2020 alone, according to a study from the National Center for Drug Abuse.
Fentanyl is an opioid drug that, according to the Drug Enforcement Agency, can be approximately 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin as an analgesic. While it was originally developed as a pain-relief drug and is still currently being sold licitly by doctors as a controlled substance, the cheap production and availability of it have made it a prevalent illegal street drug.
“We’re seeing an increase in the amount of fentanyl coming across into our county line. This stuff comes from China. The cartel gets ahold of it, and they ship it across from Mexico, usually with illegals, so they can get it off in the US,” said Calhoun County Sheriff Bobbie Vickery. “We’re not only trying to fight human trafficking, but we’re also fighting the fentanyl epidemic.”
The true danger of the drug is in its potency in small concentrations. Even an incredibly small amount of the substance can cause overdoses in people. While especially dangerous when disguised as candy or cut into drugs such as cocaine, its ability to cause overdose through accidental means of exposure such as touch or inhalation means that even simple proximity to the substance in its undiluted form is dangerous.
“Everyone sees the blue pills on TV, but they’re making it look like all sorts of candy, like Pez or Smarties. They’re disguising it in every possible way. That’s what they do. So staying ahead of the curve is difficult,” Vickery said. “First things first, do not touch it. I have my guys always wear latex gloves because that stuff can be absorbed through the skin. If you do come across something that could be fentanyl, give us a call. However, that doesn’t mean every pill you find lying around is fentanyl.”
However, there is some good news for Calhoun County. Few reports of the substance have been found in the area, and the county not only has prepared narcotics teams but can now test for the substance at Memorial Medical Center.
“We haven’t really come across it as far as it being in the city,” said Port Lavaca Police Chief Colin Rangnow. “If you are around it or exposed to it, definitely seek medical assistance. As far as reports from other departments, it can look a lot like candy, which presents dangers for juveniles. Parents should be aware and have a game plan for that.”
One way to help keep teenagers safe from the drug, as advocated by Vickery, is to be more involved in their lives and stay engaged with what they’re doing. By being aware of what their child is involved with both socially and physically, parents can help children avoid the deadly drug. This is especially important as fentanyl is more than capable of causing death in only one dose.
“It’s a matter of when not if. And I hate to say that, but parents need to be very vigilant in what their kids are doing, what they’re getting into, and who their kids are hanging out with. Share your life. That’s the best way to make them stay with you. Good parenting is the best way to keep kids out of this fentanyl epidemic,” Vickery said. “This isn’t like a beer at their friend’s house. This stuff will kill them once. That’s the danger of the fentanyl.”
Police urge that any suspicious drugs or pills should be reported to the police or disposed of with caution. The police department can be contacted via its non-emergency line at 361-552-3788.
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