[ad_1]
CINCINNATI — The DEA is going after the source of the illegal fentanyl problem while more families in Ohio mourn those lost to the drug.
Diane Peterson has been holding back tears.
“My son, Brett, passed away two years ago from fentanyl poisoning,” said Peterson.
Her son was 35 when he died. She says he’d been battling a drug addiction since the end of middle school.
“I feel like peers have more influence than parents at that age. and, you know, we just thought something was going wrong,” said Peterson.
She says he’d been in and out of rehab trying to overcome his addiction, but when he relapsed two years ago, it was the last time.
“It’s the one thing that I always prayed for that he would get up, but it didn’t happen,” said Peterson.
What happened to him is adding to a deadly trend.
“It’s a drug threat to the nation has never seen before,” said DEA Public Information Officer Brian McNeal. “Last year we lost more than 100,000 people to overdose — 70% of those to synthetic opioids like fentanyl. We did see a decrease last year, which is encouraging, but there’s still way too many people dying.”
That’s why he says Thursday, the day that marked National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day, is a reminder of what they’re doing to stop it.
“One, we’re going after those precursor chemicals. we’re getting the chemicals that create fentanyl before they even become fentanyl so we’re going after those precursors before they make their way from Asia into Mexico, and then we’re going after those large-scale drug traffickers, those people who have or crossing the border in bringing those drugs from from Asia to Mexico and right here into our streets in Michigan and Ohio,” said McNeal.
But he says it’s going to take more than the DEA. He says it’s going to take recognizing the danger that can be hidden in other illegal drugs before it’s too late.
“Whether it’s a first pill or if it’s a history of addiction, it’s still the same outcome if you get a hold of fentanyl,” said Peterson.
[ad_2]
Sheena Elzie
Source link