Arizona has been in a constant battle with fighting addiction in the valley specifically with the drug known as fentanyl. A group of experts including Jeff Beaver, the drug trafficking chief at the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, Kenny Silvia who is part of the neighborhood enforcement team with the Phoenix Police Department, Austin Moreland, the chief of emergency medical services for the Phoenix Fire Department, and Rachel Mitchell, the Maricopa County Attorney. They collaborated to talk about the issue at an event organized by the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.
On Thursday, September 12th the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office hosted a community forum on the issue with fentanyl. Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell, being the lead speaker of the forum, expressed her concern of the increasing cases of overdoses caused by the deadly drug. She and a group of panelists got together to share to the community their expertise on the drug and how they can work together to keep families safe.
“We know that drug use and addiction are not isolated issues but their catalysts that often lead to cascades of other criminal activities and also the deaths of our loved ones,” Mitchell said.
When referring to fentanyl by the panelists during the forum it was never claimed that it was a drug, but more so a poison because of how rapidly it has been spreading and killing people all over the valley. It’s so cheap making it very accessible to whoever wants to get their hands on it. Fentanyl affects everyone regardless of their economic status, race, age, etc. everyone is at risk making it important to the panelists to bring awareness. It was suggested to always carry narcan which is naloxone administered as a nasal spray. This reverses the effects of the opioid overdose and could potentially save a life.
This issue has also been connected to a rise in crimes, due to the desperation of drug addicts feigning for money leading to burglaries or crimes caused by drug deals that have gone wrong.
“We could see an increase in property crimes that are related to drug users, also violent crimes because there is a cartel element,” Silvia said.
The drug is being imported through the border and since Arizona is on the front lines, fentanyl is being trafficked through the valley into the country. The county attorney has prosecuted many people who have had dual citizenship that have crossed the border for the purpose of bringing drugs into the United States.
“There was a pair of sisters that were prosecuted last year that were transporting large duffel bags that had 750,000 fentanyl pills,” Beaver said.
Since fentanyl is constantly being trafficked, the panelists advised that the most important thing that everyone could do is simply have awareness about the situation as a whole. The panelists spoke on a law that Arizona has that is called The Good Samaritan Law which protects people who help others in need, for example if someone is suffering an overdose after doing drugs with a friend, that friend is protected by the law if he/she calls 911. Knowing that law is important due to the reasons that many people have fled scenes out of fear that costs a life that could have been saved.
Also knowing the symptoms of what an overdose looks like is helpful, carrying narcan that was also offered by the event for free is recommended, and most importantly informing everyone around you the lifetime effects fentanyl and any type of opioid can have on you and your family.
The panelists mentioned warning signs of someone who is on opiods, the biggest one being in their eyes and checking for overly glossy, red, or dilated pupils. The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office provided awareness, in depth information, and resources in hope of minimizing the fentanyl battle that is consuming so many people and families around the valley.