A 3 a.m. realization leads to fentanyl awareness programs in Wichita Falls
A forensic scientist on the front lines of the fentanyl crisis has a key takeaway about all drugs he hopes will stick with fifth-graders, seventh-graders and community members who attend the Life Decisions Program events Nov. 7 and Nov. 8 at Memorial Auditorium.
Dr. Peter Stout has over 20 years' experience in forensic science and forensic toxicology. He is the CEO and president of the Houston Forensic Science Center, one of the largest crime labs in the country.
Community members are invited to hear Stout talk about the dangers of pills on the street, especially fentanyl, and the chance cannabis vapers take with each puff. The free event open to the public is at 6 p.m. Nov. 7 in the auditorium.
Stout can also shed light on rainbow fentanyl and whether simply touching a pill containing the opioid can be deadly.
The events organized by the Wichita County judges will also feature Wichita Falls police officer Brian Arias, who will discuss the local drug scene. The events are expected to each last no more than an hour.
Stout, a toxicologist, said the country is probably in greater danger from drugs than ever before.
Last year, over 100,000 people died from drug overdoses, an estimated 60% of those deaths from opioids — predominantly fentanyl and its "ugly cousins," he said.
"You really have to live under a rock to not realize everybody's got a drug overdose problem," Stout said in a phone interview Friday.
His key takeaway: "Please never ever, ever share a medication with somebody or take a medication that you have not seen a licensed pharmacist staple into that little bag and hand to you because you haven’t the foggiest idea what’s in it."
Stout said 20 years ago, kids raided their grandparents' medicine cabinets for pill parties where they dumped all the drugs in a bowl and popped them. But the pills would turn out to be laxatives, vitamins and antibiotics.
“Now, unfortunately, what we see is a box full of 15,000 pills. They all look like spot-on, identical, legitimately manufactured alprazolam tablets," he said.
The drug, sold under the brand name Xanax, is used to treat anxiety and panic disorders.
"As we start analyzing them, every one of them will be something different," Stout said.
The pills will be methamphetamine, caffeine, nothing, cocaine and fentanyl or a version of it.
"You can see how it happens. Somebody has an ache or a pain, and they borrow what they think, and what their friend thinks, is a legitimate pill, and it's not, and we see this all the time," Stout said.
Fentanyl is cheap and coming into the U.S. in vast quantities, he said.
"The people that are doing this are after money. It is fantastically easy to get hold of," Stout said.
He said fentanyl is no question an issue, but meth is appearing everywhere. He said the lab now regularly sees pills that contain both meth and fentanyl.
If time allows, he also plans to talk about issues surrounding cannabis products and vaping.
“Particularly for kids, there is again a real danger," Stout said. "At this point, regulatory frameworks for cannabis products are just completely broken."
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There is no telling what is in any kind of cannabis products, he said.
"Quite frankly, some of the stuff is just plain not safe," Stout said.
He said rainbow fentanyl has been on people's minds because it looks like candy, and it's around Halloween.
"There's nothing really new about that," Stout said. "It just so happens somebody came up with calling it rainbow fentanyl and had a pretty picture of it."
As for the dangers from touching a fentanyl pill, first responders are really the ones at risk, he said.
"Please don't lick the evidence, and you'll probably be fine," Stout tells them. “It takes a . . . pretty unique situation to get it through your skin."
What he worries about is someone getting drugs on their fingers without realizing it. Then they lick their fingers. They rub their eye. That's how they could get a potentially problematic dose, he said.
If a person finds something that looks like drugs, don't open it or lick it, and wash your hands, Stout said. And get rid of it by flushing it or throwing it in the trash.
The events Nov. 7 and Nov. 8 will mark the revival of the Life Decisions Program. The program used to feature prisoners speaking to kids in a cautionary role. But this revival was triggered by the fentanyl crisis.
Sponsors for the events include Barnard Insurance Agency, WFISD Place 4 Trustee Dale Harvey and the city of Wichita Falls.
If you're wondering what keeps a district judge up at night, it is fentanyl's toll and its capacity to cause countless deaths.
Eighty-ninth District Judge Charles Barnard signed a warrant recently for someone accused of killing a child in a murder police believe is fentanyl related. The potent drug can cause almost immediate death.
The judge remarked to the officer that killing customers is not a good business model, and he doesn't understand that.
"They don't care if they kill kids," the officer told Barnard. He also told the judge it won't be long before fentanyl is pushed to grade school children.
It all weighed on Barnard's mind.
"I woke up at three in the morning," the judge, who has grandchildren in school, said in an interview. "I couldn't go back to sleep. I started thinking, 'We need to try to go back to the program and try to warn these fifth graders.' ”
Seventy-eighth District Judge Meredith Kennedy said she has a 10-year-old.
“She's in fifth grade, and we've begun discussing it because it's hit our community so hard and fast," Kennedy said in an interview.
Kennedy said it's important to engage with kids to try to prevent fentanyl problems from striking.
Organizers have invited WFISD, Iowa Park ISD and Burkburnett ISD to send their fifth-graders and seventh-graders to the events set aside for them on Monday and Tuesday.
Dr. Donny Lee, WFISD superintendent said the Life Decisions Program is instrumental.
"It's critical that we engage with all aspects of our community to spread the message of 'one pill can kill,' " Lee said.
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"The more we can speak to our students in a meaningful and impactful way, the greater the potential for saving lives," he said.
"The safety of all 13,300 WFISD students is our top priority and we will continue to partner with every agency available to curb the fentanyl crisis," Lee said.
Trish Choate, enterprise watchdog reporter for the Times Record News, covers education, courts, breaking news and more. Contact Trish with news tips at tchoate@gannett.com. Her Twitter handle is @Trishapedia.
This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Fentanyl awareness events coming to Wichita Falls
