On October 18, 2023

Fentanyl overdoses are preventable

 

By Jody Boulay

Editor’s note: Jody Boulay is a mother of two with a passion for helping others. She currently works as a community outreach coordinator for Addicted.org to help spread awareness of the dangers of drugs and alcohol.

October is National Substance Use Prevention Month, which means more overdose prevention messaging should be sent to every community. There are important messages that should be on repeat for everyone to know.

Amid the ongoing opioid epidemic, synthetic opioids like fentanyl have become the leading cause of overdose deaths in the United States. Local drug education and prevention campaigns and organizers in Vermont, along with reliable information about opioids, are important in saving lives and preventing overdose.

Most people know the opioid epidemic began with overprescribing prescription medications like OxyContin, advertised as safe and effective. Unfortunately, this created one of the worst drug problems in the country’s history.

Since the early 1990s, it has gone in waves involving prescription pain pills like OxyContin, Oxycodone, and Hydrocodone, to a resurgence of heroin in the early 2000s, and now illicitly manufactured synthetic opioids.

Drug cartels have been the leaders in fentanyl production, and most fentanyl is smuggled across the southern border into the U.S.

The Covid-19 pandemic also worsened the epidemic significantly. Border closures and supply chain disruptions meant drug users relied on local suppliers and unknown substances. Lockdowns and social isolation meant countless drug users were using dangerous drugs alone without early intervention, support, or treatment options.

By the end of June 2023, Vermont had had 115 opioid-related deaths. The number of overdose deaths is higher than the three-year average through June. There has also been an increased number of opioid deaths involving non-opioid drugs like xylazine and gabapentin.

Some critical preventive messages can be adapted to reach every audience. Messages warning that fentanyl can be hidden in drugs. Fentanyl is increasingly found in counterfeit prescription pain medication and sold on social media platforms. It is also found in drugs like cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine. It’s nearly impossible to tell if drugs have been laced with fentanyl without using fentanyl test strips.

Mixing drugs increases the risk of overdose, especially if one of those drugs contains fentanyl. Mixing stimulants increases the risk of stroke and heart attack. Mixing opioids with other depressants slows breathing and increases the risk of brain damage. Additionally, it is essential to note that Naloxone saves lives and reverses opioid overdose. 

It is found in all 50 states, and Good Samaritan laws are in place to help those who are overdosing. Finally, anyone in treatment and recovery needs support; this reduces stigma and encourages more people to seek help.

Do you want to submit feedback to the editor?

Send Us An Email!

Related Posts

Closing schools doesn’t fix Vermont’s education affordibility problems

October 30, 2024
By Margaret MacLean Editor’s note: Margaret MacLean, of Peacham, is a retired Vermont teacher and award-winning principal. She is the founding executive director of the Vermont Rural Education Collaborative, a past employee of the Rural School and Community Trust, and served on the Vermont State Board of Education.  Roxbury parents can meet most of the…

Making Vermont a place working families want to call home

October 30, 2024
By Rebecca Holcombe Editor’s note: Rebecca Holcombe is a Vermont Representative from Windsor-Orange 2 who served as the Vermont Secretary of Education from 2014 to 2018. Vermonters suffer from unsustainable increases in the cost of everything from property taxes to healthcare. Too many people are working hard and stretching Social Security checks but still worry…

Don’t be fooled by false promises

October 30, 2024
Dear Editor,  There is no simple solution to the challenges that Vermonters face. There needs to be a delicate balance between what, on the surface, seems like appealing short-term solutions to the cost of living for all Vermonters versus the vision for long-term planning that creates financial stability and growth into the future.  Do not…

Context matters

October 30, 2024
Dear Editor, In an October 23 letter to the Mountain Times, Steve Berry wrote, “John Kerry stated at a World Economic Forum panel, ‘Our First Amendment stands as a major block (to getting things done).’”  You may wonder why Mr. Berry uses such odd syntax, placing part of the quote in parentheses. Maybe it’s because…