THE REAL REAL ON FENTANYL: How to Have a Fun, Safe Halloween + LIFE

Oct 30, 2022

 

Hopefully, you were able to join us for one of our two ZOOM Webinars with our friend and former-DEA agent, Mark, regarding the fentanyl crisis plaguing our country. While a terrifying reality, we are grateful that, through our work, we have been able to connect with incredible. selfless human beings, such as him, who will donate their time to our community.

If you were unable to join, here is important information for you to read + share.

 

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

  1. 2 mg – the equivalent of 10 grains of table salt – is enough to kill the average adult American man (185 lbs., 6 feet tall).
    1. For perspective, a Tylenol pill is 200 mg of acetaminophen, so 1/100thof that.
  1. Fentanyl is being mixed in with both prescription (e.g. Oxycodone, Xanax, Lorazepam, Adderall),and illegal drugs (e.g. cocaine, heroin, meth, etc.) to increase the effects of the drugs and/or give the user a better high.
    1. It is less conspicuous than other fillers.
    2. It is more potent.
    3. It is more addictive.
    4. Therefore, it is the best bang for dealers’ bucks and being used by allof them.
  2. Because the fentanyl is, essentially, being mixed haphazardly in vats, there is no guarantee of how much is being laced into pills. It is for this reason, coupled with the fact that such a small amount is lethal, that many people die after taking just one pill.
    1. Hence, DEA’s #OnePillCanKill Campaign (see links below).
  3. The cartels are not targeting children with the “Rainbow Fentanyl” pills. The pills are being pressed into rainbow colored, candy-looking shapes and sizes in order to be able to more easily smuggle them across the border in less conspicuous containers (e.g. Skittles bags, cereal boxes, Smarties packages, etc.).
  4. That being said, children – young and older – are more enticed by these candy-looking pills so parents must be on the alert. E.g. a toddler – or even a middle schooler – will pick up something that looks like candy and eat it. Even a high schooler. Even (especially) me!
  5. If you use illicit drugs AND/OR prescription pills not bought directly from a legitimate pharmacy, you are risking buying a pill that is laced with fentanyl.This is not a “drug addict” issue.
    1. EXAMPLES:
      1. An adultruns out of their prescription pain pill, e.g. after knee surgery, ask a friend for one while waiting for rX refill, does not know friend did not get theirs from pharmacy but dealer –> laced with fentanyl.
      2. A high school or college studentneeds ONE Adderall to study for her last final, does not have an rX for it, gets it from a friend who got it from a dealer, not a pharmacy –> laced with fentanyl.
      3. A high school or college student (or any child)injures themself snowboarding, playing football, soccer, etc. needs a pain pill before rX is refilled, goes into parent’s pill bottles or gets one from a friend, and pill was not from a pharmacy –> laced with fentanyl.
      4. Youchecked all your kids’ candies, but their FRIENDS’ parents did not, and they are all sharing candies at school –> one Rainbow pill sneaks through and they eat it.
    2. Mark’s words, verbatim, “I would rather play Russian roulette with a 6-chamber than take illegal drugs or a prescription pill not from a pharmacy.” #SHOOK.
  1. NARCAN Nasal Spray is NOT the solution.
    1. It is expensive to get if, especially if you do not have health insurance coverage.
    2. It may take more than 1 spray to counteract the amount of fentanyl actually consumed.
    3. Saving someone’s life with the spray, necessarily assumes
      1. You know the person took fentanyl and is having a fentanyl overdose.
        1. E.g. not passed out from alcohol, napping, etc.
      2. You are there to administer it.
      3. They just took one pill with 2mg of fentanyl or less.

WHAT TO DO TO PROTECT YOURSELVES:

  1. Have the hard conversation with everyone you know, sober, clean, healthy, young, old, rich, poor. (See examples, above). Please share this information.
  2. Draw hard line rules around (1) illicit drug use, (2) prescription pill use, and (3) candy. Please see list of examples, above.
    1. NO illegal drugs.
    2. NO rX pills not purchased yourselves, personally, directly from a pharmacy.
    3. NO eating ANY candy that YOU, personally, have inspected first.
      1. I told my daughters that someone is playing a mean trick on trick-or-treaters this year and putting bad things in candies, so I need to check every piece before they eat it. I told them I understood it might be difficult to wait to eat the candy, but that they could get really, really sick if they didn’t. #itiswhatitis
  3. Visit the DEA’s website for more information on fentanyl and what its use looks like here in the U.S.
  4. Start a “One Pill Can Kill” Campaign in your children’s schools, community centers, sports clubs / teams, activity centers, etc. Even though the opioid, including fentanyl, crisis is one of the top killers of Americans – over 120,000 die / year – the government is not doing enough to stop it. (Surprise surprise). So, as per usual, stop being LAZY or WAITING for someone else to protect and save you, and take measures into your own hands. I say this because I care about you!!! #sorrynotsorry.
    1. Flyers
      1. English
        1. Fake Pill / Real Pill
    2. Spanish
      1. Lo que todo padre y cuidador debe saber sobre las PASTILLAS FALSAS
  5. Buy NARCAN SprayS if you can afford it.
  6. SHARE. SHARE. SHARE. Stop hiding from reality, avoiding the tough conversations, and mincing words. Start confronting LIFE head-on, and start taking definitive actions to protect yourselves, your children, and communities.
  7. JOIN OUR FLTJ COMMUNITY to stay up-to-date on what is really going on it this crazy World and, if you like what we are doing, join our Team or contribute to our efforts financially:

    1. Join the FLTJ Community
    2. Support FLTJ’s Efforts
  1. BREATHE. I know this is heavy and a lot on a Sunday, but it is important. That is why we took so much effort to put it together. We hope this helps you and, as always, protects you and your children.
Yours in All the Fights,
Nicole
 
DISCLAIMER: This email and the information contained herein is intended for informational purposes only. Neither FLTJ, nor anyone associated or employed by or with it, is or claims to be a medical, drug use, drug prevention, law enforcement, or any sort of expert whose statements might be construed or relied upon as such. As always, FLTJ is sharing information it has obtained via the most credible resources it could identify, so that YOU, the reader, can make informed decisions based on your OWN research, investigation, and analysis. FLTJ disclaims, and by reading and/or sharing this email, you waive any and all rights and liabilities associated with, relating to, or arising out of your reading and/or use of the information contained in this email. The thoughts expressed herein are informational and/or opinion, only, and should not be relied upon or substituted for your own and/or a professional / expert / or any other qualified person’s opinion, thoughts and/or advice.

The Law Offices of Nicole C. Pearson