Skip to Main Content

Sheriff Encourages Parents to Learn About, and Discuss the Dangers of Fentanyl

 

Last week I joined many others who packed a community church to mourn the loss of an area teen.  The young man went to bed in his family home, never to wake up.  Instead, he was found lifeless the following morning by those who loved and cared about him.  This boy's parents are upstanding citizens within their community.  They work hard, provide, volunteer, and are respected.  I only mention that because I think all too often society wants to put people who abuse drugs into a stereotypical category and as with most stereotypes, they aren't always accurate.   

Half the church last week was filled with teenagers who were classmates and friends of the boy who lay at the front of the church in a coffin, surrounded by pictures and flowers.

Parents, I know you've heard of Fentanyl.  Some of you may know what it is, some of you may not.  It's killing kids across our country at an alarming rate and Southeast Kansas is no exception.  It's imperative you learn about it if you haven't already.  It's imperative you have conversations with your children, whether you think they are good kids or not. Being naïve could prove to be destructive to your family.  Those conversations need to occur whether you're comfortable having them or not.  The alternative may just be making funeral arrangements for your child and assuredly that won't be a comfortable experience.

There's lots of credible information about this deadly drug.  One source for a quick overview is dea.gov/onepill.

As a synthetic opioid which is 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine, this drug is contributing to over 150 people dying every day.

You may be thinking, everyone knows even a microscopic amount of Fentanyl can be deadly, so why would anyone take it if it isn't prescribed by their doctor. 

One of the main issues is that people of all ages, including teens, think trading or buying pills, such as oxycodone, Adderall, and Xanax isn't a big deal because they come from a doctor or pharmacy.  Unfortunately, that's flawed logic.  A doctor prescribes a specific drug to a specific person for a specific purpose. 

And kids, just like most of us, have heard seemingly innocent exchanges between other adults about prescription drugs.  Someone all the sudden has back pain so a friend or co-worker offers up a prescription pill they have left over from a recent surgery or obtained some other way.

Kids see their parents and adult relatives do this. They pay attention. And suddenly it isn't that big of a deal to get a pill from a classmate. 

Of course, this is a big deal. The market is flooded with counterfeit prescription pills manufactured in China and brought into the United States through the Southern Border.  Drug Traffickers will often mix Fentanyl with other drugs because it's cheap to manufacture and a small amount goes a long way.  Those pills are not subjected to lab requirements or FDA approval.  Because of this influx of potentially deadly counterfeit pills, unless you personally obtain the prescription pills from your pharmacist, you have no idea where the pill originated or what's really in it. One pill may be fine and the next contains a lethal dose of Fentanyl.  Sadly, it's not known which is which until it's too late.

The parents of the local young man who was buried last week wants badly for no other parent to have to endure what they have. 

I don't want this drug to shatter your family. I don't want it to lead to an empty chair at your dinner table, or leave silence in the place of laughter during a family celebration. 

Again, I ask you to please learn more about this deadly drug and have a real and hard conversation with your children.

God Bless and Stay Safe,

Sheriff David M. Groves

Submit an Anonymous Crime Tip