We’re getting an alarming new look at the toll fentanyl is taking on our communities.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) stated in 2022, more than 50.6 million fentanyl-laced, fake prescription pills were seized and more than 10,000 lbs of fentanyl powder was seized. The DEA Laboratory estimates that amount to equal more than 379 million potentially deadly doses of fentanyl.
Last year, in Michigan, Ohio and Northern Kentucky, the DEA said they seized 280,000 fentanyl-laced pills and 600 lbs of fentanyl powder.
For organizations like Macomb County Families Against Narcotics, the numbers are not surprising and show a lot more work needs to be done.
“With fentanyl here in Macomb County specifically, we’re really seeing a lot of people dying. A lot of people are dying of preventable death, if Naloxone was present or when an overdose happens, these deaths don’t need to happen,” said David Clayton, program director of the organization’s harm reduction support team Harm:Less.
With boots on the ground, they do all they can to prevent fentanyl poisoning.
“We encourage people to carry Naloxone on them,” said Clayton. “We also give people access to fentanyl test kits so if they are going to use drugs, recognizing that this is going to happen, we can let them test their drugs for the presence of fentanyl, letting them know that they can use less or they cannot use it at all.”