Fentanyl took 69 lives in Humboldt County in 2022

As I write this, I am looking at a list of 69 names. Sixty-four Humboldt County residents and five visitors. All who died from fentanyl in 2022. It probably isn’t a complete list, because we won’t have the final reports from December for a few more weeks. You might be picturing them in your head right now, but that picture probably isn’t accurate.

While I didn’t know any of them personally, I do know a lot about them. They were between 22 and 74 years old. One only completed eighth grade, but some had master’s degrees. A few had never worked, but the rest worked in nearly every sector of our community. A few were unhoused, but many died in their own homes. Eleven were married. Two had been widowed. They included essential workers, first responders, and veterans. They represent 11 different cities and towns in Humboldt County. They were survived by grandparents, fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, sisters, brothers, daughters, and sons. I know this because these are the people who provided the information for their death certificates.

I don’t know how many of them knew they were taking fentanyl. Some people search for fentanyl as their drug of choice, but I suspect many of these didn’t. Fentanyl is commonly found in what appear to be prescription pills for pain, sleep, or anxiety that are sold or shared from sources other than legitimate pharmacies. Fentanyl is also commonly found in other drugs, like heroin and methamphetamines. It’s cheap to manufacture and easy to transport because it only takes a minuscule amount to get a strong drug effect. A fatal dose, for most people, is around 2 milligrams. These are the things I wish those 69 people, and the people who loved them, had known.

There are concrete things we can do to make the list shorter this year.

• Don’t buy prescription pills from any place other than a legitimate pharmacy, even if you’ve had a prescription for that medicine before, and don’t ever take a pill someone else shares with you. Six out of every 10 counterfeit prescription pills tested by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency lab in 2022 contained fentanyl. Talk to your doctor about treatment options if you have been using pills that aren’t prescribed for you.

• Talk to the teens and preteens in your life about the risks of drug use and overdose. Not sure how to start? Check out the National Institute on Drug Abuse at nida.nih.gov/publications/opioids-facts-parents-need-to-know for more information.

• If you have someone in your life who is using drugs, get trained to use naloxone and carry it with you. Naloxone is a safe, non-addicting medication that can reverse an overdose and save lives. Free trainings and naloxone are available through the Overdose Prevention Team at Public Health’s Healthy Communities Division. Call 707-599-6318 to get set up.

• If you do use drugs, and you aren’t ready to think about quitting, get naloxone, ask about fentanyl test strips, and don’t use alone. Call 707-599-6318 for help with Harm Reduction strategies that could help save your life.

• If you are thinking about quitting or cutting back, talk to your health care provider about treatment or go to the North Coast Resource Hub at resourcehub.nchiin.org to find out where you can get help.

Together, we can help more of our neighbors, friends, and family members see next year.