Weirich among Tennessee DAS to ‘wage war’ on fentanyl
Drug ‘is as dangerous as a loaded gun’
Along with Shelby County District Attorney Amy Weirich, district attorneys across the state are launching an awareness campaign aimed toward teens on the “extreme dangers of fentanyl,” the group announced Tuesday.
The state’s 31 district attorneys general say that use of fentanyl, a highly lethal synthetic opioid, has increased but awareness has not.
Middle and high schoolers were part of previous focus groups about the drug led by district attorneys, per the release, which stated the attorneys would “wage war” on the drug.
“In our research, we discovered a lack of education around the dangers and prevalence of fentanyl and opioids in general,” Guy Jones, executive director of the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference, said in a statement. “Our youth are our future. It is with that in mind that we work to inform them on the realities of addiction and overdose. We want this effort to be the start of the end of fentanyl and deadly drug abuse in Tennessee, and we must work together to make this goal a reality.”
The district attorneys said fentanylrelated overdoses in the state have increased “exponentially” in recent years. Because fentanyl has been disguised and sold as other drugs, the district attorneys say, people can unknowingly take the drug and take too much.
The drug’s lethal dosage — about 2 milligrams — is significantly smaller than the lethal dosage of other drugs.
“Fentanyl is as dangerous as a loaded gun,” Weirich said in a statement.
“Too many lives are being lost because young people don’t understand or appreciate that danger.”
Recently in Memphis, U.S. marshals arrested and charged the parents of a 4year-old child who died after receiving the drug, authorities said.
Social media will be key to the awareness campaign, which will also focus on “risks associated with street drug usage,” per the release. The awareness effort will heavily utilize social media to reach students across the state and disseminate the message of the deadly nature of fentanyl, especially with the risks associated with street drug usage.
More information is available at Thedeadliesthigh.com.
Laura Testino covers education and children’s issues for the Commercial Appeal. Reach her at laura.testino@commercialappeal.com or 901-512-3763. Find her on Twitter: @Ldtestino.