It’s Halloween time. The spooky season that is filled with tricks, treats, screams, ghouls, monsters and parties. But not all parties are innocent with punch and cookies. Some party favors take the form of alcohol, prescriptions drugs or illicit substances. If you’re a party monster, keep in mind the dangerous game that you are playing with these ‘Tricky-Treats’.
According to the CDC, the annual 2021 death statistics in the U.S. for fentanyl are: Synthetic Opioids (fentanyl) 71,238. A number up from 57,834 in 2020, for a combined estimated two-year total of 129,072 deaths by accidental overdose.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 80-100 times stronger than morphine, according to the National Coalition Against Prescription Drug Abuse.
A newsletter sent out to parents and educators at the start of the Fall 2022 semester by the San Joaquin County Office of Education warned of risks. “People often don’t know that they are taking fentanyl or how much fentanyl a drug contains. Even in small doses, fentanyl can be deadly,” the letter read.
Drugs like cocaine laced with fentanyl or even counterfeit pharmaceuticals pressed to look identical are becoming more common throughout the United States. During September 2022, several high school students died from fentanyl overdoses.
According to the preliminary CDC data from 2021, “the leading cause of death among people in the ages of 18 to 45 years, were accidental injuries; mainly accidental synthetic opioid overdoses.”
Public Information Officer Sergeant Jim Bock of the Delta College Police Department pointed out the lack of overdose cases on campus specifically.
“We’ve never had, in recent history, I would say within the last 10 years; anything to do with a drug overdose of any kind [on campus],” said Bock. However, Bock did admit this may be in part due to the fact that Delta College does not have any dorms on site, meaning any overdoses may not be occurring on campus, bypassing campus statistics. Even still, all Delta College police officers carry Narcan.
Benjamin B. Morrison M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Community Medical Centers, and part of the Opioid Safety Coalition, said Narcan is readily available if needed.
“There’s a lot of different places people can get Narcan. You can get it from pharmacies, you can get a prescription for it… If someone’s experimenting with [drugs], yeah someone should have Narcan available. If someone has an overdose, they should be getting Narcan immediately,” Dr. Morrison said. Morrison explained that it is crucial to administer opioid blocking drugs immediately during an overdose and to call 911 as soon as possible, since the effects will begin to wear off within a span of 30 to 90 minutes.
“I think everyone who is using drugs experimentally is at risk for an opioid overdose, specifically fentanyl,” said Rachel Zebro, a Public Health Educator with San Joaquin County Public Health Services. She coordinates the injury prevention program at SJCPHS, which includes overdose prevention work and is part of the Opioid Safety Coalition. “[Fentanyl] is found in illicit pressed pills -mainly, but also heroin and cocaine. People who are experimenting with drugs may not even know that fentanyl is in the drugs that they are taking — these are counterfeits, essentially,” Zebro said. “We at San Joaquin County Public Health Services provide free Narcan to the public, Mondays through Fridays at our office in Stockton. Folks can just come by and pick up a box of Narcan with two doses, no questions asked,” said Zebro.
Rachel also noted an important law that provides certain legal immunities to anyone that calls 911 regarding an overdose, titled the ‘Good Samaritan Law’.
“The Good Samaritan Law in California states that people are immune from prosecution for drug possession if they are calling emergency services or first responders in order to get help for someone who’s overdosing,” Zebro explained.
With national overdose numbers quickly rising, if you are going to join in on the risky fun, take precaution with testing, and have Narcan readily available which is a brand of Naloxone, “a medicine that rapidly reverses an opioid overdose,” according to the ‘National Institutes of Health’ (NIH) website.
INFO BOX: Narcan Distribution is available to the public for free Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at San Joaquin County Public Health Services, 420 S. Wilson Way in Stockton. Pickup is confidential.
