Woman battles fentanyl in novel ways

Jul. 15—BOISE — For Amanda Quinn, drug use and the fentanyl crisis represent more than drug bust numbers or overdose statistics. The Boise resident has been closely affected in many ways by addiction, including experiences with her sister and a former husband.

And just a couple months ago, a friend of hers died in Boise from using cocaine laced with fentanyl.

Quinn, 41, and her 23-year-old child Fel Quinn have recently embarked on an effort to increase awareness of fentanyl and provide wide access to the overdose reversal drug naloxone.

"Even if it helps save one life, it'll make a difference," Amanda Quinn said. "... (Fentanyl) is here, and I don't think a lot of people are aware of that."

In early June, the Quinns founded the nonprofit the Seal Project Corp. and are in the process of distributing informational flyers at downtown bars about the dangers of drugs that may be laced with fentanyl. They are also raising money to purchase vending machines that dispense Narcan, a brand name for nasal spray naloxone.

Once the machines are acquired, Amanda Quinn has approval from the owners of Mulligan's Pub and Eatery to install them and she's in discussions with a few other downtown bars. She hopes to expand to other locations in Boise as the nonprofit grows and raises enough funds.

In March, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration made Narcan available over the counter. This opened doors for improving access and availability of the overdose reversal drug. Quinn said that previously, some people had been worried about the potential stigma around obtaining Narcan when they had to go to a pharmacy and answer questions to get it. Quinn had read about New York City installing public health vending machines that included free naloxone and wanted to bring the concept to Boise.

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare previously had a program in which a range of entities could request free naloxone kits, paid for by federal funds; however, this past session the Legislature authorized the use of those funds with the added requirement that the kits only be made available to first responders.

The distribution of naloxone is not regulated by the state, said health department spokesperson Greg Stahl. Community organizations that use other sources of funding are able to distribute the opioid reversal drug, he said.

Quinn hopes to make the spray easy to obtain for anyone, even those who don't use drugs, just in case they encounter a potential overdose and are able to save a life.

In 2021, bystanders were potentially present in around 46% of overdoses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The nasal spray drug is easy and safe to administer without formal training, and it does not have any effect on someone who does not have opioids in their system, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Fel Quinn, who uses they/them pronouns, worries about their friends as they've newly entered the bar scene. Fel also worries about their teenage sisters, who will be going to parties and may encounter drugs and not know that they're laced with fentanyl.

"I'm always fearful that I'm going to see someone overdose because my friends have," Fel said. "I haven't witnessed that in person but it's a real fear and I just want my friends to be safe and protected, and the whole community, because I'm just hearing about it more and more."

Fel's in the process of becoming EMT-certified and hopes to offer free training as part of the nonprofit's work to try to keep people informed about what to do if an overdose occurs.

"I just want people to be equipped with how to help themselves or a friend," Fel said.

Amanda Quinn also hopes to eventually distribute fentanyl-testing strips, which are illegal in Idaho because they are considered "drug paraphernalia" under statute. The strips can be used on a drug to determine if it has been laced with fentanyl.

Amanda Quinn said she plans to advocate for legalization of the testing strips.

Although the nonprofit is still in its infancy, Quinn has an ever-growing list of ideas for ways she can address the issue, including someday providing more education in schools or at libraries. She also hopes to host fundraising events for the Narcan machines and continue to spread awareness.

"I have a huge vision," she said.

As she builds out her website, Quinn is also hoping to gather the stories of community members' loved ones who have died from a fentanyl overdose so she can create a memorial page to remember them by.

Anyone with a story to share may send it to boisesealproject@gmail.com.

Quinn has worn a number of professional hats; she's practiced real estate on and off since 2003, owned commercial self-service car washes, and operated a side business taking commercial photos and helping build websites. She's a single mom with six children, including a child she adopted as a baby from her sister, who struggled with addiction.

"I'm an adventurer, explorer, risk-taker and advocate to fight for what is right," she said in a text.

As someone who's been personally affected by drug addiction and overdose, she said there's a growing problem in the state. After her friend's death, she started to research Gov. Brad Little's "Operation Esto Perpetua," which was launched in 2022 to combat the fentanyl crisis through law enforcement, education and behavioral health.

In 2021, 44% of overdose deaths in Idaho involved synthetic opioids such as fentanyl; compared with 21% in 2020 and 12% in 2019, according to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.

Nationwide, the total number of drug overdose deaths doubled between 2015 and 2021, from just under 50,000 per year to nearly 100,000 per year. The danger of fentanyl is its high potency — it's 50 times more potent than heroin. A lethal dose can be 2 mg and it's extremely difficult to detect when mixed with other drugs, as it frequently is.

Fel said they feel like there are a lot of misconceptions about the drug and who it impacts. They saw messaging that made it sound like it was only a problem for people who are addicted to drugs, "and that's not really the reality that we're seeing," Fel said.

Amanda Quinn is deeply concerned about the growing impact of fentanyl in the Treasure Valley. She was born and raised in Nampa and now lives in Boise.

"This is my home," Amanda said, "... My heart's here and I want to do something to help my community and the place where I grew up."

Guido covers Idaho politics for the Lewiston Tribune, Moscow-Pullman Daily News and Idaho Press of Nampa. She may be contacted at lguido@idahopress.com and can be found on Twitter @EyeOnBoiseGuido.

1