Town Hall meeting warns of dangers of fentanyl

Ethan A. Chase principal Kristie Jackson addresses the audience at Wednesday's Town Hall meeting. (Staff photo)

By Doug Spoon, Editor

The Romoland School District this week hosted a Town Hall meeting to educate the public and increase awareness of the dangers of the drug fentanyl.

Studies show an alarming increase in deaths nationally from the drug, which is 500-100 times more powerful than morphine. Although in small doses it is prescribed by doctors to treat severe pain, just a small amount used in the wrong way can cause death.

Guests at Wednesday’s meeting at Ethan A. Chase Middle School were shown the documentary “Dead on Arrival”, which has been shown to students there and is available for viewing on YouTube. According to the film, just 3 percent of drug deaths were attributed to fentanyl in 2013. This year, it accounts for over 50 percent.

Fentanyl is odorless and tasteless and is easily hidden in pill form. According to sources, it is often disguised in “fake oxycontin” pills, so users have no idea what they are ingesting. Making matters worse, social media posts make it easier for young people to acquire drugs that may contain fentanyl.

Wednesday’s meeting included a panel discussion featuring Chris Tieffer, a behavorial health specialist; Diana Barnes-Fox, a school-based mental health therapist for Romoland School District; Kristie Jackson, principal of Ethan A. Chase; Michael Turrell, problem oriented police officer with Menifee PD; and Dr. Timothy Ibrahim of the Overdose Youth Safety program in the Inland Empire.

Jackson told the story of how her sister died of a drug overdose. She was found in a trailer weeks after her death and the body was unclaimed. After learning of her death, Jackson joined her husband and niece in visiting the site where the state had buried her.

Turrell said that last year in Riverside County, there were 793 overdose deaths, and 467 were from fentanyl. Of that total, only two deaths were deemed intentional.

“I’ve been an officer for 15 years,” Turrell said. “We never got training on it because it wasn’t an issue. Nobody knew what it was, even though it’s been around since the ‘60s. We used to think heroin was the big scary drug. Now that has changed.”

Common signs of fentanyl addiction are sleepiness, flushed skin, shallow breathing, unresponsiveness, slurred speech, mood swings and apathy. Victims often shun their friends and adopt a new group of friends they don’t want others to meet. Youth may spend unusual amounts of time away from home or closed up in their room.

Turrell said it is difficult to diagnose long-term use of fentanyl users because “there is no long-term use. You take it and you die.”

According to Turrell, the best course of action for someone discovering a person with such an overdose is to try to keep them awake and talking and if possible administer Narcan, a nasal spray used to treat opioid overdoses.

“Put the person on their side to prevent them from choking on vomit,” Turrell said. Be aware that if the person comes out of it, they may be freaking out and try to fight."

Considering that education is one of the best defenses against fentanyl, parents are urged to talk frankly with their children about its dangers and watch for changes in their child’s behavior. One resource is the California Youth Crisis Line, which can be reached at 800-843-5200.