Fentanyl is a rising concern for all
Dec. 9—With Fentanyl popping up more and more in the news, you might be asking yourself what is Fentanyl and why is it such a big deal? Fentanyl is a deadly synthetic opioid that is being pressed into fake pills or cut into heroin, cocaine, and other street drugs to drive addiction.
Fentanyl is 50 times more potent than heroin. DEA lab testing reveals that four out of every ten fake pills with fentanyl contain a potential lethal dose according to www.dea.gov/onepill. The DEA seized more than 20.4 million fake pills in 2021 and 15,000 pounds of Fentanyl.
Drug traffickers are using social media to advertise drugs and conduct sales to children. "If you have a smartphone and a social media account, then a drug trafficker can find you. This also means they are finding your kids who have social media accounts, said Kendra Gift , a Coalition Coordinator at South Western Oklahoma Development Authority.
It only takes a small dose of Fentanyl, 2 milligrams, to be lethal which could fit on the tip of a pencil. There is also a list of emoji codes that are used on social media for these purchases. An Emoji Drug Code Decoded can also be found on the DEA.gov's website. Fentanyl is also being made in rainbow colors to look like candy for kids.
How can we help our children be safe with these kinds of dangers lurking around every corner? DEA also gave some helpful tips for parents and caregivers: — Encourage open and honest communication — Explain what Fentanyl is and why it is so dangerous — Stress not to take any pills that were not prescribed to you from a doctor — No pill purchased on social media is safe — Make sure they know Fentanyl has been found in most illegal drugs — Create an "exit plan" to help your child know what to do if they're pressured to take a pill or use drugs — For more tips on how to talk to your child about drugs, read Chapter 4 of Growing Up Drug Free: A Parent's Guide to Substance Use Prevention at www.getsmartaboutdrugs.com/publications.
A significant number of high school and college students purchase Adderall and Xanax from dark web drug markets and/or through social media referrals. Dealers are also using apps like SnapChat to target young adults and teens. Parents Ed and Mary Ternan created www.songforcharlie.org/ to inform young adults, parents and educators about counterfeit pills like the one that killed their son in May 2020. "Upon Charlie's death, Ed and Mary were shocked to find that the scope of the fake Fentapill problem was well known among medical and law enforcement authorities, but not by the most vulnerable group, young people between the ages of 13-24," according to their website.
Most of these pills are produced in other countries; mainly China, Mexico, and India. However, an increasing number of pills laced with fentanyl are being produced in the U.S. These pills, which are often sold online, look like legitimate prescription meds such as oxycodone or Adderall. In fact, people buy them believing that they are similar to the pills you would get from the doctor.
The Woodward Area Coalition is working on substance use prevention in Woodward County. If you would like to get involved in the efforts, please contact Kendra at kendra@swoda.org. These efforts are funded by Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, and SWODA.
