Kids learn: What's in that pill from the street? Maybe toenails and bugs

Toenails and bug parts could be in any pill bought on the streets, and they turn up all the time in drugs analyzed by the Houston Forensic Science Center, Dr. Peter Stout told Wichita Falls ISD students Monday morning during an event to raise awareness of the dangers of fentanyl and other drugs.

About 500 fifth-graders attending the event organized by Wichita County judges in response to the fentanyl crisis were horrified at that information. Stout accompanied it with a hidden-camera photo — according to the slide's caption —showing a scuzzy-looking, illegal pill maker who appeared to be the poster child for uncouthness.

Stout, a toxicologist, is president and CEO of one of the largest crime labs in the country. He gave it to the kids straight about fentanyl, which is a powerful opioid, vaping and the unreliability of any drug that did not come directly from a pharmacist.

"Fentanyl is 100 times as potent as morphine," Stout, who has over 20 years' experience in forensic science and forensic toxicology, said at the event at Memorial Auditorium.

One kilogram of fentanyl contains around half a million lethal doses, he said. It's enough to kill about five cities the size of Wichita Falls.

"Just imagine Wichita Falls is silent because everybody is dead," Stout said.

A kilogram is equal to approximately 2.2 pounds.

Stout said carfentanyl, "the ugly cousin" of the fentanyl drug group, is 10,000 times as potent as morphine.

Adults are invited to hear Stout and a Wichita Falls police officer speak about fentanyl and other drugs at 6 p.m. Monday at Memorial Auditorium. The free events for the newly revived Life Decisions program for Monday and Tuesday aim to reach area fifth-graders, seventh-graders and adults.

Monday morning, Stout told the students, who often reacted vocally to his speech, that counterfeit pills can contain drugs other than what the dealer says they are. In fact, Ecstasy, or MDMA, is very rare in Texas.

More:A 3 a.m. realization leads to fentanyl awareness programs in Wichita Falls

Methylenedioxy-methamphetamine, a synthetic drug, alters a person's mood and perception.

A pill sold from a dealer as Ecstasy, for instance, might contain methamphetamine, he said. About 18 months ago, pills with a mix of meth and fentanyl turned up, and now that is common. Meth is being found frequently in illegal drugs.

"We see counterfeit Adderall tablets that are meth," Stout said.

Adderall is a medication used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

But college students abuse Adderall when studying, and the more competitive a college is, the more common Adderall abuse is, Stout said. If students are taking counterfeit pills, they may become a meth addict without realizing it.

Wichita Falls police officer Brian Arias, Crime Stoppers coordinator, sought to drive home to kids the importance of their choices and that, "One pill can kill."

"A 13-year-old made a choice, a choice that cost him his life," Arias said.

He told the students those who have died in Wichita Falls of fentanyl overdose range from 13- to 50-years-old.

"A 13-year-old child should never be exposed to this," Arias said.

He said he carries NARCAN®, a nasal spray for treating overdoses, but one bottle only has two sprays in it, and he only has that one bottle. NARCAN® has become rare and expensive because of the problems with fentanyl.

"You choice has the biggest effect on everyone around you," Arias said. "Imagine the person you love the most being woke up at 3 o'clock in the morning and being told you're not here."

Sponsors for the events include Barnard Insurance Agency, WFISD Place 4 Trustee Dale Harvey and the city of Wichita Falls.

Kennedy, one of the organizers for the events Monday and Tuesday for the Life Decisions Program, said they were the brainchild of 89th District Judge Charles Barnard.

Students attending Monday morning came from Booker T. Washington, Lamar, Zundy, Southern Hills, Kate Burgess, Scotland Park, Haines, West Foundation and Fowler elementary schools, according to 78th District Judge Meredith Kennedy.

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 event in Wichita Falls