‘They’d Be Done’
Dangers of Fentanyl covered at town hall
The Burton School District held a Fentanyl Awareness Town Hall at Burkey Center on Tuesday, featuring Tulare County Public Safety and Law Enforcement officers, and medical staff who spoke on a panel educating the public about the dangers of Fentanyl, a highly dangerous drug.
Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux, Tulare County District Attorney Tim Ward, TCSD Lt. Nathan Polk, TCSD Deputy Chris Tyson, Porterville Police Captain Dominic Barteau, and Burton School Nurse Stephanie Bravo were on the Town Hall panel talking about the dangers of Fentanyl, awareness, and how to save someone who has overdosed.
Before the Town Hall meeting started, Burton Schools assistant superintendent Julissa Leyva, said the meeting was a good way for Burton staff, parents, and students to learn about the dangers of Fentanyl and be aware of all the dangers, and how to prevent an overdose.
Leyva said they would be sending the Town Hall video out to families, as well as posting it on the district website, as well as making it available via a Zoom link.
Besides Burton superintendent Sergio Mendoza being at the event, so were various school principals, and school board members.
Fentanyl is a crisis in the county, and the Burton School District “wanted to bring the information to you,” said communications coordinator Irene Ortega. But, before the panel, a sad video was shown of the Didier family. Zach Didier’s distraught parents, found their 17-year-old son dead and poisoned, after taking a Percocet that had been laced with Fentanyl, on December 27, 2020.
Didier had bought the pill on Snapchat. Any pill one buys on the black market, through an app, is full of Fentanyl, law
enforcement stated
The Didiers begged parents to be more aware of what their kids were doing.
And law enforcement said the same. The officers, who have children of their own, said parents have to check what their children are doing, be aware, and talk to them. Check all the apps, their computers, phones, but talk to them and make sure they’re aware of what’s going on.
Didier’s parents had talked to him about the dangers of drugs, but they didn’t recognize the signs.
Barteau spoke candidly with the audience saying he has children in college and high school, and they are both good students in academics and athletics. But the thing that terrifies him is his children could experiment, “and they’d be done. We have to make sure they understand the dangers.”
Boudreaux said he was thankful Burton was having the town hall to help make people aware of the dangers of Fentanyl. There have been numerous deaths due to fentanyl overdoses in California, for people between 20 and 45, and younger. One of the main problems is Fentanyl is so cheap, $600 per pound, cheaper than methamphetamine, Boudreaux said.
“Our children can order it online and have it delivered,” Boudreaux said. “Here in Tulare County it is delivered to children. And it’s happening all across the country and in California. It’s made to look colorful like candy, now. It’s called Rainbow Fentanyl.
Locally in school we haven’t found any Fentanyl. We are working closely with BUSD offices.”
Ward said the tragedy doesn’t just start with the families. It starts in the
communities. And the criminal court systems aren’t set up to go after drug dealers. There are addicts on the streets, and people who are using it, but the punishment for Fentanyl is a misdemeanor. In prosecuting people for possession and sale of the drug, the most they can get is 4 years.
Ward said the laws in California don’t recognize Fentanyl as a class 1, highly addictive and dangerous drug, and the Legislature has refused to codify Fentanyl as an illegal and dangerous drug, and the District Attorney’s Organization needs to petition the Governor’s office directly.
Fentanyl is a poison, and the dealer’s don’t always know the toxicity of the pills they sell, Ward said.
“The tragedies need to stop. Over 3 times the amount of people died from opioid drugs as from COVID-19 during the pandemic,” Ward said.
Tyson gave a presentation and spoke about what to look for as a parent when searching for drugs or contacts. He said it’s really important to look at your children’s stuff and check their phones for the use of social media.
He said kids will have multiple accounts on their phones, ipads, or computers. And parents need to ask questions, and get familiar with all the apps, he said. Call teachers, and law enforcement for help, he added.
Ward spoke about the opioid deaths in 2021, and said it’s not just about being a parent for your children, it’s being a role model. He said if children see their parents do drugs, they might think it’s not so bad. And that’s a bad message, he said.
Boudeaux said as a population “we have to know what to look for. You have to be very careful. Don’t sniff and don’t touch anything you don’t know what it is.”
“Narcan is the antidote for Fentanyl overdose, and it saves lives,” he said.
Bravo said, “We need to train all staff and professionals to use Narcan.” And she suggested that all parents call their pharmacist to get Narcon, to have it at home, or carry it with you.
“Our job is to get as much Fentanyl off the streets as possible,” said Boudreaux. He spoke about being contacted by families, and the amount of deaths that have taken place.
“It’s important you know what to look for, and also look at the mental health of your children, and focus on their behaviors,” he said. “You can always contact us.”
Barteau spoke about Porterville Police Chief Jake Castellow purchasing a drug sniffing dog that would also help detectives, using the softer touch. He said, “Call us and ask questions. Speak with law enforcement when you need to.”
He said Tulare County Health and Human Services has a great website, https://www.drugfreetc.com
“We are thankful to law enforcement and the sheriff, and we will be training our staff to use Narcon,” said Ortega.
FENTANYL FACTS Fentanyl — One pill can kill. One can never know what can be put into a pill.
Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that’s similar to morphine.
It can be used as a throat lozenge like a cough drop. It can be used in a patch on the skin, or given as a shot.
It affects the brain and causes confusion, drowsiness, nausea, and dizziness and many other side effects.
Rainbow Fentanyl is brought from China, and distributed by 2 drug cartels in Mexico, Sinaloa and New Jalisco.
Fentanyl is added to drugs like heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, Percocet, and oxycontin and made to resemble other prescription opioids.
In its liquid form, Illicitly Manufactured Fentanyl, IMF, can be found in nasal sprays, eye drops, and dropped onto paper or small candies.
Drug traffickers are using social media to sell drugs. Snapchat and other apps.
Just inhaling Fentanyl can kill you. Naloxone (Narcan) treats overdose when given right away.
If you see someone in distress call 911 right away. Administer Narcan.
If you see something, a small package, you don’t understand, don’t get near it.
Since the beginning of 2022, the TCSD Street Crimes Division has seized 150,000 Fentanyl pills.
Recently, 12,000 Fentanyl pills were seized in LAX airport hidden in candy wrappers.
In Bakersfield, a 13 year old student was arrested after a middle school employee was exposed to Fentanyl in September.
FENTANYL EXPOSURE
There were a number of other videos shown from officers’ body-camera footage. The first was of a sheriff deputy investigating a suspicious vehicle and he got too near and was overcome when he inhaled Fentanyl. His partner took immediate action, and saved his life by administering Narcon, but it was a close call.
Another video showed a young woman talking, who also took a drug she purchased. Luckily she was saved when administered Naloxone, or Narcon.
“We are always thankful for the staff, law enforcement. And we have that duty to speak to other people,” said Mendoza after the sobering town hall.