Marin must continue to push for an end to fentanyl deaths – Marin Independent Journal

A teacher takes a closer look at Narcan nasal spray during a Narcan training session for John Swett Unified School District teachers at Rodeo Hills Elementary School in Rodeo, Calif., Friday, Dec. 9, 2022. Teachers learned to use it in the event of a fentanyl overdose to resuscitate students. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)

There is still too much stabilization in the number of drug overdose deaths in Marin.

Last year, Marin reported an average of nearly 44 drug overdoses each month. According to reports, 65 to 70 of them were fatal – more than one per week – and six to seven out of 10 deaths were linked to fentanyl.

At a recent countywide forum, Marin Supervisor Katie Rice described the crisis.

“Overdose deaths affect every community, every demographic, family members, friends, the homeless, the most privileged,” she said. “It leaves in its wake unimaginable heartbreak and too many lives cut short. »

Dr. Matthew Willis, a county public health officer who has worked to raise awareness about fentanyl overdoses, said, “It’s not an exaggeration to call this a crisis. »

In fact, the county recently issued its first public health alert regarding fentanyl overdoses, in response to five fentanyl-related overdoses in 10 days in February.

The county has also seen an increase in cases where fentanyl was mixed with methamphetamine, a dangerous and deadly drink. It is also sometimes mixed with cocaine, also a deadly concoction.

The problem officials have found is that, in some cases, these doses are disguised to look like familiar prescription drugs — a threat to those who don’t know, too often teenagers and young adults.

In California, 79 percent of drug-related teen deaths last year involved fentanyl, according to a state resolution.

Local officials, educators and community leaders are joining forces to combat the threat and its tragic consequences, not only by raising awareness and education, but by dramatically increasing public access to Narcan, an emergency nasal spray that can save the lives of overdose victims.

Their goal is to save lives. They are trying and hoping to reduce fatal drug overdoses by at least 10% this year. They are also working to increase the number of Marin residents enrolled in medical treatment for opioid addiction by 10 percent.

In addition to working to raise public awareness, OD Free Marin, a collaboration between county, medical, education and community leaders, has distributed nearly 8,000 Narcan kits over the past three years. The Marin County Cooperation Team, a nonprofit based in Marin City, has distributed more than 1,000 Narcan kits since July.

Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid – 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Seven out of 10 illicit fentanyl pills tested by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration contained a potentially lethal dose, according to the state.

Fatal overdoses, linked to the increase in fentanyl trafficking, doubled between 2018 and 2021, according to county statistics.