By Paula Peterson
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Illegal fentanyl has been in the news for years, but it is not somebody else’s problem. It is in Douglas County, in El Dorado County and in Placer County.
The illicit fentanyl comes as a cheap filler in counterfeit Xanax, OxyContin, and Percocet pills. It is now also being found in marijuana and vaping products (bootleg vaping cartridges) bought online, through social media, and other illegal distributers.
Just 2 milligrams of fentanyl – about the same volume as a few grains of salt — can be fatal, particularly in those unaccustomed to opioid exposure can kill, which means just touching it can be deadly.
Pharmaceutical fentanyl is a synthetic opioid, approved for treating severe pain, typically advanced cancer pain. It is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine. It is prescribed in the form of transdermal patches or lozenges and can be diverted for misuse and abuse in the United States.
That misuse is leading to a surge in overdoses, deaths and cases handled by law enforcement across the country. Both rural and urban counties have seen a dramatic increase in the number of accidental drug-related overdoses and deaths due to fentanyl.
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), synthetic opioids, including fentanyl, are now the most common drugs involved in drug overdose deaths in the United States. Rates of overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids other than methadone, which includes fentanyl and fentanyl analogs, increased over 16 percent from 2018 to 2019. Overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids were nearly 12 times higher in 2019 than in 2013. More than 36,000 people died from overdoses involving synthetic opioids in 2019.The latest provisional drug overdose death counts through May 2020 suggest an acceleration of overdose deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Placer County Sheriff’s Office recently created a video for the community to inform them of the increasing dangers of fentanyl and the six suspected fentanyl deaths in just the last few weeks. (see video on their Facebook page here).
The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office said that while they don’t track specific overdoses or crimes involving just fentanyl, its Narcotics Division has seen a significant increase in investigations involving fentanyl. They are reporting they’ve had as many fentanyl cases so far in 2021 than they saw in all of 2020.
Fentanyl its prescription form is known by such names as Actiq®, Duragesic®, and Sublimaze®. Street names for illegally used fentanyl include Apache, Dance Fever, Friend, Goodfellas, Jackpot, Murder 8, and Tango & Cash.
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) reports no fentanyl-related overdoses or deaths so far in 2021 but there are coroner cases that are waiting for toxicology results.
DCSO Sheriff Coverly has done service announcements regarding illicit street drugs like “M-30 pills” and for the public to be aware they resemble prescription Percocet pills which have been known to contain Fentanyl.
“Our deputies have had several lifesaving events were they used Narcan to revive someone who has overdosed on an unknown opioid. Our Investigative Narcotics Units are aggressively taking all street level drugs/narcotics off the street and continue to keep focus on stopping the sales and use of illegal drugs/narcotics in the Quad County area,” said DCSO Undersheriff Ron Elges.
Nevada County is also experiencing a dramatic increase in the number of accidental drug-related overdoses and deaths due to fentanyl. They held a community town hall last fall to address the situation with the public.
“We are witnessing the introduction of fentanyl into the local drug supply and tragic deaths as a result, and we need to reach all Nevada County residents to inform them of the lethal threat presented by fentanyl,” said Deputy Health Officer Dr. Glennah Trochet at the time.
Law enforcement is not always involved on cases where a person is saved from an overdose though they carry Naloxone (known as Narcan) in their patrol vehicles in South Lake Tahoe in case they come across an overdose. Staff on ambulances and fire trucks also carry the life saving medication that rapidly reduces opioid overdose, not just those from fentanyl.
South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue medics carry the Narcan as well. In the last six months they have used it 15 times, five times in just March, so far. It is used on a suspected opioid overdoses, not just suspected fentanyl.
Due to the rising number of opioid overdoses, most pharmacies are able to give the public naloxone.