Calhoun County, AL – May 9th is Fentanyl Awareness Day and organization such as SUPE (Substance Use Prevention Education) work hard to help raise awareness and prevent further tragedies regarding Fentanyl use. They have created a Parent’s Guide to Fentanyl aimed to educate parents, caregivers, and families on the dangers of fentanyl. It also gives guidance on how to protect youth from this threat by providing information on how to talk to children and teens about drug use and abuse.
Chief Bill Partridge of the Oxford Police Department shared with the Calhoun Journal that, “This [fentanyl] is an epidemic that is destroying so many young lives, and families across our country, no matter the demographics. We must work to solve it.”
Alabama has seen a staggering increase in the number of fentanyl-related deaths. In 2018, there were 121 deaths connected to fentanyl. In 2020, this increased to 428 deaths, and in 2022, preliminary numbers estimated 835 deaths. In 2021, in Calhoun County, there were 17 opioid overdose deaths. Overall, in the state, overdose deaths increased by 0.51% annually over the last three years. At the most recent Calhoun County 911 Board meeting Coroner Pat Brown spoke about the increase in deaths due to Fentanyl.
Chief Nick Bowles with the Anniston Police Department stated, “There are no “pure” narcotics out there. Everything gets cut down with all kinds of chemicals and products including fentanyl. When you make the decision to put that stuff in your body, you are literally putting your life in the drug dealer’s hands.”
In politics US Senator Katie Britt (AL) led a hearing on transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) and related drug and human trafficking with officials from U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement and stated, “Fentanyl is devastating communities all across this great country. It’s now the leading cause of death for Americans under the age of 45. More than 150 people die each day from an overdose related to fentanyl. At the current rate, more Americans will die in the next decade from fentanyl than combat deaths in all the wars since America’s founding. Yet most of the fentanyl killing Americans is coming from abroad, starting as precursor chemicals in China before being turned into the deadly drug by Mexican cartels, obtained from internet sources and then shipped via mail or smuggled across the border into the United States,”
Governor Kay Ivey recently spoke about House Bill 1 and stated she believes strongly that Alabama is, once again, setting the example for the nation by passing this bill to combat the fentanyl crisis with total bipartisan support. “The entire nation should take note of what we accomplished today in Alabama with the passage of House Bill 1, the bill to help combat the fentanyl crisis. Every member of the Legislature – Republican and Democrat – came together to pass this critical piece of legislation. Combatting this deadly drug will continue to be a top priority for our Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, and I will do everything in my power to stop this drug from being a killer in Alabama. I commend Rep. Matt Simpson for his leadership on this issue, as well as all members of the Alabama Legislature for sending this bill to my desk. I look forward to putting my signature on House Bill 1 in the swiftest order.”
Chief Nathan Johnson of the Piedmont Police Department stated, “Over the last few years the opioid pandemic has definitely taken a strong hold in Piedmont. In my 17 years as a Law Enforcement Officer, I have never seen the amount of overdoses and overdose deaths like I am seeing now. Now it has become devastating to families and members of our community. After we started seeing Heroin, it was not long before Fentanyl was playing a huge part in the overdoses that we were responding to. We try every day to talk to people and try to get them to go get help. I personally try to reason with them, and my heart truly goes out to our people that are fighting this terrible addiction. The opioid crisis is so evil, and it has done so much damage to our communities and to our nation. I care so much for people, and I wish that there was a way to eliminate it so no more people or families have to suffer. I would personally shake the hand of any person who has beaten this demon because it is not easy, and it takes a huge support system for one person to see how much better life is without the drugs. If you need help with your addiction do not wait and get help immediately before it’s too late.”
