Drug Epidemic is Affecting Families and First Responders!

5/2/2022 (Permalink)

Image of drug epidemic in Shasta County, California.

There is another epidemic growing in the United States and it isn't what you think. Manufactured Fentanyl is on the rise! Originally designed and created to treat chronic severe pain after surgery, Fentanyl is now being smuggled into the United States and used to make illegal drugs more potent. As an example, compared to morphine, Fentanyl is 100 x stronger, creating a recipe for disaster if the wrong dose is administered. 

Fentanyl was created in 1959 and introduced to the world in the 1960s, but it wasn't until 2011 that the rise of illegal use began. Today the increase continues to rise, forming the perfect storm for an epidemic. 

Lacing Fentanyl into other illegal substances without the consumer's knowledge continues to be a problem. According to the NCDHHS, "As little as two milligrams, about the size of 5 grains of salt, can cause negative health effects including trouble breathing, dizziness, and possible overdose." 

This epidemic isn't just affecting the consumers but also our first responders and children. A legally prescribed Fentanyl patch wrongly discarded can create a potential exposure threat to children. Luckily the CDC has released a long list of recommendations for keeping our first responders safe, trained, and aware of what signs to look for, for possible fentanyl exposure. 

If you, your child, or someone you know has been exposed to fentanyl or experiencing an opioid overdose, call 911 immediately. Police officers, emergency medical technicians, and first responders are trained on how to administer Naloxone, a medicine commonly used to rapidly reverse an opioid overdose.

Like all epidemics, we need each other to help fight this war. The American Medical Association is partnering with physicians, state and federal policymakers, " to combat the nation’s drug overdose and death epidemic."  on a medical level.

 How can you help? Check out the U.S. Department of Health's Overdose Prevention Strategy for more information on how you can do your part to end this epidemic! 

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