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Fentanyl Fundamentals There are two types of fentanyl— pharmaceutical and illicitly manufactured. Both are synthetic, but the latter is what 2 milligrams of fentanyl is considered a deadly dose
Fentanyl-related overdoses in Frisco Frisco police began tracking fentanyl- related cases in 2019. The types of overdose incidents are based on o cers’ initial information collected at the scene.
Opioid-related deaths across counties Texas Health and Human Services tracks opioid-related deaths across the state via its Texas Health Data website. Deaths are measured per 100,000 population.
Collin County
Dallas County
Denton County Tarrant County
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9*
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accounts for most overdoses and deaths.
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2020 *AS OF MAY 18 **THE STATE DOES NOT HAVE DATA BEYOND 2020 SOURCES: FRISCO POLICE DEPARTMENT, TEXAS HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMUNITY IMPACT 2019 1 2023 0 2016 2017 2021 2022
2018
2019
2020**
Frisco Medical Director Mark Gam- ber said he wanted to leave the town hall’s audience with one message, echoed by other panelists and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration: one pill can kill. “There’s just no margin for mistakes with this,” he said. McKinney resident Michael Land, who lost his son Preston Land to acute fentanyl poisoning in 2021, spoke during the Potter’s House panel May 12. He recalled how Preston struggled with depression and isolation while he was in high school. “That night that he took that pill, I don’t know what he was struggling with,” Michael said. “He got a bad pill.” A national crisis Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid compa- rable to pain relievers such as oxyco- done and hydrocodone, is 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin, accord- ing to a presentation during the FISD town hall meeting. It’s most commonly found posing as “Blue M30” pills. Drugs contain- ing fentanyl are most commonly pur- chased through social media apps such as Snapchat, Instagram, Telegram and Whatsapp, according to law enforce- ment o cials. “Dealers are pushing it into our com- munities in any way, shape or form,” said Grant Cottingham, public informa- tion o cer for FPD. Texas has seen an increase of more than 500% in fentanyl-related deaths since 2019, according to Texas Health and Human Resources. Across the U.S., three out of four overdoses involved synthetic opioids such as fentanyl during that time, according
The Texas Legislature also consid- ered a series of bills to combat rising overdose numbers across the state. At least two bills, HB 3908 and HB 6 were sent to Gov. Greg Abbott in May. Responding locally Frisco Police are responding to the fentanyl crisis with a patrol division, a special investigations unit and school resource o cers, Cottingham said. The special investigations unit focuses on removing fentanyl from Frisco’s streets while school resource o cers focus on awareness. “Our job is to get the word out there,” Cottingham said. FISD has no medical records of incidents related to students with fentanyl, according to an emailed statement from the district. However, FISD is playing its part in discuss- ing a serious problem by using social media, newsletters and its website. FISD plans to continue using those avenues to raise awareness of fentanyl in the fall, according to the email. A district spokesperson con rmed that all nurses, clinic assistants and administrative sta at all campuses were trained on the use of Narcan before the 2022-23 school year began. School resource o cers are trained by the FPD and have carried Narcan for the past three years, Cottingham said. All of the police department’s patrol o cers also carry Narcan. “There’s no downside to using Nar- can,” Gamber said. “It only reverses opioid overdoses.” Narcan can be safely administered to people of all ages and will not harm someone if they are not overdosing from an opioid, according to the CDC. Collin County deputy sheri s have
to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As little as two milligrams of fen- tanyl can cause a lethal overdose, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. “If you look at the lethal dose of fentanyl, we don’t necessarily need to talk about volume,” Cottingham said. “It doesn’t take much to kill someone.” The U.S. Food and Drug Adminis- tration approved Narcan for over-the- counter sales in March, according to a March 29 news release. Narcan is a 4-milligram naloxone nasal spray that can be used to reverse drug overdoses. Narcan, when applied, can reverse the e ects of an overdose from opi- oids including heroin, morphine, methadone and fentanyl, according to the CDC. The treatment is tempo- rary and someone who is overdosing should still seek medical attention, even after applying Narcan. It can now be sold and stored on the shelves of pharmacies, grocery and convenience stores, gas stations, and online shopping sites across the U.S., according to the news release. Approval of the nasal spray will help improve access to naloxone and help reduce opioid overdoses across the country, FDA Commissioner Robert Cali said. “The FDA remains committed to addressing the evolving complexities of the overdose crisis,” Cali said in the news release. “As part of this work, the agency has used its regulatory author- ity to facilitate greater access to nalox- one by encouraging the development of and approving an over-the-counter naloxone product to address the dire public health need.”
PHARMACEUTICAL
Prescribed by doctors for severe pain, advanced- stage cancer
Applied via a patch
on the skin
ILLICITLY MANUFACTURED
Created at pill-pressing organizations
Made in fentanyl synthesis laboratories Coming into U.S. from:
• China • Mexico
• India • Canada
SOURCES: CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION, U.S. DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION COMMUNITY IMPACT WHAT CAN I DO? Scan the QR code to nd more
information or help regarding fentanyl.
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