Copy

March 29, 2022

Dear Be the Influence (“BTI”) Parents & Caregivers,

Fentanyl.  You may think this newsletter doesn't concern you. You've already seen the awful headlines. Or maybe you've read or heard the heartbreaking stories about kids in our community who have died.  "By the grace of God ...", we may think. And we worry; parents always worry. But most us go on to the next thing, assuring ourselves, it won't be us ...

"Thank goodness, my child isn't addicted to drugs" ...

"At least my kid's not popping pills - fentanyl isn't being laced in marijuana, is it?" ...  

"It's not like my child is shooting up or buying street drugs in the Tenderloin" ...  

"My kids are too busy between school, homework, sports, music, theatre, after-school jobs, etc. to do drugs like that" ...

"We have regular family dinners and talk to our children about drugs and we've told them about fentanyl" ... 

"My child has heard the stories about those kids; they would never do something that reckless" ... 

"My kids are have promised me they aren't doing those drugs" ...

"My kids know better" ... 

We all have some of these thoughts going through our minds whenever we hear of another fentanyl poisoning. As did the parents in our communities and all over the country who are forever grieving. They didn't think it could happen to their children either - they also "knew better". 

#FentanylChangesEverything is the hashtag some of the brave ones write in their social media posts as they share their very personal stories to spread awareness of this drug.

#OnePillCanKill #NoRandomPills, they warn. And it's #FentanylPoisoning, not an overdose, they point out. Their kids didn't know the pill they were taking that looked like the real thing wasn't. 

In his new book, The Least of Us: True Tales of America and Hope in the Time of Fentanyl and Meth, former LA Times reporter Sam Quinones writes, "the days of recreational drug use are over. Every drug you try is a game of Russian roulette." 

Fentanyl deaths don't just happen to addicts or kids with serious substance use issues. They are happening to kids who casually use on weekends. Or the ones who are experimenting at a party for the first time after a friend hands them a pill. Or who are just bored and scrolling through their social media feeds in their bedrooms and see an offer on SnapChat. The allure of social media. One and done.

And fentanyl deaths most definitely are not limited to San Francisco's Tenderloin and similar neighborhoods. They occur in communities like ours, or where our kids attend college or move to start their careers. Fentanyl is flooding markets everywhere. It does not discriminate among geographical areas or socioeconomic status. 

So this newsletter is for every parent out there. BTI has been sounding the alarm over fentanyl for the last several years in our newsletters, blogs and on our Facebook page. Many of you have read the heartbreaking stories by Marin mothers Michelle Leopold, Marion Kregeloh and Tori Kropp, whose sons Trevor Leopold, Alexander Movahedi and Xander Kropp, are forever 18, 25 and 19 years old from deaths by fentanyl, months apart in 2019 and 2020. Our friends and neighbors. There are no words; no one can truly know their pain.

Pictured here at a Mill Valley parent education event last fall, these three forever grieving mothers hold each other up and work tirelessly and ferociously to spread awareness and advocate for change. We don't know how they do it, but we are fortunate to have them in our community, no longer fighting for their own children, but for ours.

But they are the tip of the iceberg. For every parent who shares their most personal story of how their child has died or came close, reliving the pain each time, there are ten more out there who understandably don't. Too many other parents are out there whose lives are forever affected by fentanyl - including those who had much younger children.

Please read on to honor these mothers' efforts and their sons' memories - and share with your own children. We know this newsletter is a long one; it was supposed to be much shorter. But the stories kept coming and we couldn't leave them untold. And the topic is too important to skimp on details.

So this newsletter is dedicated to our three brave Marin moms who are putting themselves out there - and to all the other parents who loved and tried their very best to save their children.

Here, you will find information on:

  • What is fentanyl and a fentapill? 
  • What are the numbers in our communities? 
  • Whose young lives are being taken? 
  • What about cocaine, cannabis and other drugs?
  • How are our kids getting these drugs?
  • Why in the world do drug dealers sell a product that can kill their customers?
  • What can parents and community members do?
  • And finally, the signs of an opioid overdose or a fentanyl poisoning, Good Samaritan laws so you or your kids can help and how Naloxone/Narcan should be in everyone's first aid kit - it can save a life.

First, let's start by listening to our kids. Please tune in TONIGHT, Tuesday, March 29 at 6 pm via Zoom here for their "CALL TO ACTION: The Fentanyl Crisis in Marin". Sponsored by the community coalition RxSafe Marin, the event will be led by students from Redwood, Archie Williams, San Rafael and Novato High Schools. 

WHAT IS FENTANYL AND WHAT HAS IT BEEN FOUND IN? 

Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that is 50 -100 times more powerful than morphine. Originally developed as a pharmaceutical for pain management treatment of stage 4 and terminally ill cancer patients, it is applied in micro-dosages through a patch on the skin. It's also used by anesthesiologists, in combination with other medications, in surgical settings.

Increasingly, fentanyl is being abused or is surreptitiously being laced into other drugs. Fentanyl is the third epidemic wave of  overdose and drug deaths in the U.S. The first began in 1999 with opioids; the second  in 2010 with heroin and fentanyl began the third wave in 2013. Deaths by fentanyl have only accelerated with each year since then and particularly have worsened during the Covid pandemic.

By itself, it's in powder or liquid form; it looks identical to heroin. But it is far deadlier: a lethal dose of heroin is 30 milligrams whereas just a 3 milligram dose of fentanyl can kill. A dose as small as a grain of salt or spec of sand can be lethal.

Illicit fentanyl is produced in clandestine makeshift labs and industrial warehouses, mostly in Mexico, with chemicals supplied by China. It has flooded US markets, mixed and laced into counterfeit pills of every kind and drugs such as heroin, cocaine, methamphetamines. Though very rare, even marijuana and other seemingly innocuous drugs, both synthetic and natural, illegal and legal, have been found with fentanyl. 

As author Sam Quinones writes, "fentanyl has become so commonplace that dealers now use it the way we use salt on our food. They liberally sprinkle it into anything they're selling ... motivated by the belief that fentanyl can boost the potency of any drug."

"Fentapills". Fentanyl is being pressed into millions of counterfeit pills, also known as Fentapills, that look exactly like traditional pharmaceutical pills such as Xanax, Percocet, Oxycontin, Vicodin, Adderall, Ecstasy (aka "Molly") and others. These pills are what the majority of our kids our dying from - the counterfeit Xanax, Oxy or Percoset they might be taking at home to destress or fall asleep or to self-medicate so they can get through their days and ease their pain. The Molly they take might take at a party or a music festival to have fun. The Adderall they are using to study or cram for exams. They may be experimenting with these drugs for the very first time. And as their parents can tell you, #OnePillCanKill. 

THE NUMBERS IN OUR COMMUNITY. AND EVERYWHERE

The numbers are staggering, they are accelerating and fentanyl is unlikely to be going away any time soon. It is now the No. 1 cause of death for those between 18 to 45 years old.  And according to the CDC, drug deaths among youth ages 10 to 14 years tripled between 2019 and 2021.

Last September 2021, the DEA reported that they had already seized some 9.5 million fentapills to date that year, an historic amount that was more than the last two years combined - nearly a 430% increase from 2019 and 2020. DEA lab testing revealed that over 40% of the seized fentapills had deadly quantities of the drug - two out of five pills with lethal doses. The amount was enough to kill 700,00 Americans.

In California, according to state data as of June 2021, a young person under 24 had been dying every 12 hours. This is a 1,000% increase over 2018.  

Orange County experienced 19 juvenile fentanyl-related deaths in 2021, making it the leading cause of death for kids 17 years old and under.

Marin County. According to RxSafe Marin, the fentanyl wave began hitting Marin County hard in 2019. 
  • In 2019, Marin families experienced 11 fentanyl related deaths and 17 non-fentanyl opioid related deaths, out of 65 substance related deaths in all age groups.
  • In 2020, 23 fentanyl related deaths occurred and another 10 were non-fentanyl opioid related deaths, out of 73 substance related deaths in all age groups. 
  • The 2021 numbers are not finalized yet, but so far it appears there are 24 known fentanyl related deaths. 
In total, there have been at least 18 deaths by fentanyl of young people under 30 years old that occurred in Marin County in the past three years. Note that these numbers do not include those Marin young adults who have moved outside of the area.

Other Bay Area communities. In contrast to Marin, San Francisco's, fentanyl deaths have been well publicized. The past four years have seen an increase of 450%  - from 69 deaths in 2018 to 380 in 2020 to 474 deaths in 2021. In Alameda County, the increase was 735% - from 14 to 117 deaths between 2018 to 2021.  

U.S. numbers. The spike occurred all over the country. According to the CDC, between May 2020 to April 2021, over 100,000 people died from drug overdoses in the US, which was the highest death toll in a 12-month span and a 30% increase from the prior year. Of those deaths, two-thirds were from fentanyl. To put it in perspective, that's more than the number of American soldiers who died in the Vietnam War or from AIDS in 1995, the peak year of that epidemic.

Fentanyl is unlikely to go away. Author Sam Quinones calls this the "synthetic era of drugs". Although synthetic drugs made with chemicals of all kinds have been around for decades, none have had the huge supply and deadly threat of fentanyl (and also methamphetamine). Quinones predicts these synthetics won't be going away any time soon because they make huge business sense to Mexican drug traffickers. Using chemicals over plants means no land, irrigation, pesticides or farmworkers are needed and there are no weather or seasons to deal with. Synthetic drugs can be made year-round in labs and warehouses. And they're quicker to manufacture. In the case of fentanyl, it's easier and more profitable to smuggle because so little is needed to make extraordinary profits. So traffickers transition from a bulky plant to an easy synthetic, heroin is disappearing from the US streets and the more deadly fentanyl is replacing it.

BEHIND THE NUMBERS - YOUNG LIVES CUT SHORT

Marin County's Beautiful Boys 

Trevor Leopold, forever 18
One Pill Can Kill. This is the message that Michelle Leopold wants you to know. Her son, Trevor, grew up in Greenbrae, attended Redwood HS, and was part of a warm, intact family, with engaged and loving parents. They ate dinners together each night with their two sons. And two dogs. Like so many boys, Trevor was attracted to cannabis. He began to struggle but his parents were on top of it and did everything they could. But there were some hard years and Michelle felt very much alone in her community.

With a lot of love, intervention and treatment, Trevor graduated from Tam HS and headed to college. But in November 2019, at age 18, he died in his dorm room at Sonoma State from a fentanyl laced "Blue 30 Oxy" pill. Since then, Michelle has worked non-stop, advocating for policy and legal changes. Over and over again, she shares the painful details of Trevor's story in every forum she possibly can. Her website, We Are Not Alone Community, provides resources and the connection with other parents that she didn't have while her son was struggling.

Michelle details what she has learned from Trevor's journey in her Marin Residents for Public Health Cannabis Policies website blog. The data shows that Cannabis is the No. 1 predictor of opioid use for youth. She describes how Trevor's stubborn attraction to marijuana beginning his high school freshman year led him to search for bigger highs. And how even after wilderness trips and rehab stints, on Trevor's 18th birthday, Michelle found a medical marijuana card for him in the mail. Along with the dangers of fentapills, Michelle works to spread the word how today's cannabis has THC levels unimagined just a few years ago and that yes, it's most definitely a gateway drug to other drugs.

Xander Kropp, forever 19

CPMC Nurse and Marin mother Tori Kropp will tell you the same thing about marijuana and Xander. At age 17, he told her "Mom - the first time I smoked weed I didn't hurt inside. I just wanted to be a normal teenager." It made, in his words, "feeling lost better." He went on to opioids. Going to rehab made him ashamed - he didn't want to be "that kid". Tori's blog on the same Marin Residents for Public Health Cannabis Policies website as Michelle's blog asks our community Where is the Outrage? Her heartbreak and anger is laid bare as she describes her son's death by fentanyl - a mere 18 months after trying cannabis.

As she tells Xander's story to students in the Archie Williams HS Pitch newspaper article, Every Parent's Worst Nightmare: Fentanyl Epidemic Overtakes Teens, Xander had just turned 19 and was headed for college in Santa Barbara. Tori found him dead in his bedroom - with a lighter and a straw by his side. She will never unsee that image. Tori asks the important questions: "Why is this community failing our children? Why are they seeking out drugs, from cannabis to OxyContin and Xanax, in the first place?"

Alex Movahedi, forever 25

Marin mother Marion Kregeloh is now dedicating her life to answering Tori's questions and what parents can do to help their kids who are struggling. On Christmas Day of 2019, Alex told her he finally wanted to quit his Xanax addiction. In the past, Alex had admitted to using cannabis "on occasion" with edibles or a hit or two to sleep. He always assured her with a "Mom, don't worry - it's safe and healthy".

Alex's anxiety became so intense that stronger strains of cannabis only worsened it. He began to take Xanax, which initially helped him feel more relaxed, confident, and to sleep better. Eventually, the paradoxical effect of his substance use continued to worsen his anxiety and cause a downward spiral of heavy cannabis use and Xanax. He tried rehab.

Alex was determined to stop this time and in the new year, he enrolled in a medically supervised detox program, tapering down on Xanax, one of the hardest drugs to detox from. Then the Covid pandemic hit and Alex was only able to meet with a doctor over the phone every two weeks. It was not enough. In April 2020, at the age of 25, Alex died of fentanyl poisoning. His toxicology results showed the presence of his medications prescribed to taper off Xanax - as well as THC (cannabis), cocaine, fentanyl and carfentanyl (a sedative for elephants). It was assumed the fentanyl and carfentanyl had been mixed into the cocaine he had done.

Marion tells of cleaning out Alex's car after his death. She found things she didn't know existed - empty wrappers of THC laced cookies and other edibles, empty THC soda bottles, and a glass rig for "dabbing" high THC concentrates. She had known about the dangers of Xanax but made it her mission to learn all she could about the forms of cannabis Alex was abusing until the end. Like her two Angel Mom friends, Michelle and Tori, she has shared her story with everyone she can, including her blog in the Marin Residents for Public Health Cannabis Policies website, The Cannabis Hype and How its Damaging our Youth and our Communities  and with Redwood HS students through an article in the Bark, the student newspaper, One Pill Can Kill: Addiction, Loss and Fentanyl.

Alex4Hope is Marion's new website. In it, she culls through research and posts interviews she has conducted with experts on topics such as the root causes of youth substance abuse, e.g., toxic stress, "adverse childhood experiences", trauma and conditions particular to affluent communities like Marin County. Her mission is to end the stigma of mental illness and to give parents strategies to support a child who is struggling with substance abuse or mental health issues. Her background as a physical therapist and chronic pain clinical specialist with a holistic over pharmaceutical approach gives her a special perspective.  

The Younger Ones

Fentanyl poisonings are happening to kids at younger and younger ages. Those who still have orthodontic braces. In a Redwood Bark Soundcloud recording, "Countless Stories: Fentanyl and Youth", Michelle Leopold tells the stories she has heard from other mothers throughout California, who she's come to know:
  • Luca Manual, forever 13 from Redding, CA. Luca went on SnapChat to buy marijuana from a dealer. The dealer offered him a fake Percoset, laced with fentanyl and he died after one pill.
     
  • Alexander Neville, forever 14 from Laguna Niguel, CA. Alex died from one fake OxyContin pill with fentanyl. His story and his parents education and advocacy efforts are detailed below, along with stories of other kids who purchased fentapills off SnapChat.
     
  • Valentina Langhammer, forever 14 from Concord, CA. Valentina was found in her bed on August 21, 202, poisoned by a blue M 30 fake Oxy pill. She was a freshman at Concord HS.

  • Zach Didier, forever 17 from Rocklin, CA. Zach died from one pill thought to be Percoset he bought on SnapChat. Zach was one of the Valedictorians of his class; he had been accepted at UCLA and several other UC's, and was just about to submit his final application to Stanford. All while training his dog to sing while accompanying him on the piano. 
     
Tragedies like these are happening across the country to young teens in middle and high school. In January, 2021 after a 13 year old boy in Hartford, Connecticut died and two other 7th grade boys were hospitalized, 40 bags of fentanyl were found at their middle school and 100 bags were found in the boy's bedroom.  

WHAT OTHER DRUGS CONTAIN FENTANYL THESE DAYS?

It's not just limited to pills but is showing up in other street drugs in powder form.

Cocaine. Fentanyl laced cocaine has been happening for years but the incidents are increasing.  Just last week, on March 17, 2022, the San Francisco Department of Public Health issued a health alert on fentanyl laced cocaine after three fatal and nine non-fatal fentanyl poisonings occurred in the prior two weeks. Cocaine is typically sold as a white or lavender powder. And it's commonly used by our youth, college kids and 20-something young professionals. Like street pills, cocaine is a game of Russian Roulette. Please share the risks of cocaine with your children, in addition to the One Pill Can Kill messaging.

What about Marijuana? There have been law enforcement and public health alerts, especially over the past year, of fentanyl laced marijuana in several states, from the East Coast (Vermont, Connecticut) to the Midwest (Michigan, after 8 suspected cases, and Iowa) to the West (Colorado).

These are still very rare (so far) and in some cases where samples were available and sent to labs for further testing, no fentanyl was discovered. For example, in Vermont, after three people were arrested in connection with two overdose incidents suspected to be fentanyl laced marijuana, DEA lab testing did not find any traces of fentanyl.  

Confirmed Connecticut case. However, in November 2021, the Connecticut State Forensic Science Laboratory confirmed the presence of fentanyl in marijuana in one sampling after 39 recent overdoses where people needed naloxone to be revived and the patients said they had only used marijuana. An investigation found that 30 had a history of opioid use. Yet the one sample of several grams of marijuana sent to lab examiners confirmed the presence of fentanyl. 

A spokesperson for Connecticut's Commissioner of the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection told reporters that narcotics dealers say adding fentanyl keeps them competitive with the growing legalized commercial marijuana market, and increasingly potent cannabis. "It’s so easy to get, add in the addiction factor and it just keeps people coming back to that same dealer," he said.

In another more recent case in Connecticut in February 2022 involving a 16-year old and cannabis, the investigation and lab testing is still continuing. 

Iowa. In February 2022, a vaping device found in a high school had THC and fentanyl, according to a field test. The vape liquid has been sent to a lab for confirmation.

Colorado. In Pueblo, CO, a recent March 2022 public service announcement warned the community about an increase in overdoses tied to laced cannabis in both smoked form and THC products such as wax and oil variants sold by street dealers. Samples have been sent to a lab for confirmation.

While the public health alerts, reports, warnings, investigations and lab testing continue, the cannabis industry claims these reports are alarmist and law enforcement scare tactics. They argue it doesn't make sense to lace their product. Moreover, they point out that it's impossible to be poisoned by fentanyl with smoked cannabis because any flame that is hot enough to combust plant material should destroy the fentanyl. And they say that the few confirmed cases out there are likely accidental cases of contamination. They speculate that the drug dealer may have cut the substances on the same table, exposing the cannabis to fentanyl or didn't properly clean the surface after cutting the fentanyl product. This is certainly plausible, as minuscule amounts that resemble salt or specs of sand can be deadly if mixed with anything consumed.

But as one drug expert in academia noted "all you need is one idiot to think it's a good idea to mix and you have a cluster" of fentanyl poisonings. Health authorities are putting out the word and warning that if you observe someone having trouble breaking or staying awake after consuming cannabis, call 911 immediately or administer Narcan.

The bottom line on marijuana and fentanyl? There is too little known right now. Fentanyl poisonings from cannabis have been extremely rare. But those who purchase any drugs outside a pharmacy or a tightly regulated legal market should assume fentanyl can show up anywhere. Just ask Eli Weinstock's parents about Kratom... 

Eli Weinstock, forever 20.

Eli grew up in a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio and was a sophomore at American University in Washington, D.C. He was, according to his mom, physician Beth Weinstock, "on his way to a bright future but he made one mistake. One bad decision". Eli was found dead in his off-campus apartment in March of 2021. The coronor found two substances in his body: fentanyl and Kratom.

What is Kratom? Found in some CBD stores and head shops, it's a legal herbal supplement, extracted from the leaves of an evergreen tree grown in Southeast Asia. It can be made into a liquid product, powder supplement or pill.

Eli's family will never know why, in what form or where he got Kratom. Did he take it as an energy booster? A mood enhancer? For muscle pain? It's marketed for all those things and more. Low doses can act as a stimulant, making the user more energetic, higher doses may bring euphoria (for this reason Kratom is sometimes used at music festivals) and at really high doses, it can have a sedating effect. Or did Eli take a pill thinking it was something else but instead had Kratom and fentanyl. The Weinstock family will never know.

But they are certain about one thing: he wasn't struggling with substance use.  As Beth wrote in a Cleveland newspaper op ed piece "so many associate fentanyl with addiction. I see it in people’s eyes - hear it in their voices - when I tell them Eli died from fentanyl ingestion. A slight shift happens, and I sense their internal dialogue, questioning if Eli had an addiction struggle. He didn’t, to answer their question." Beth's message is "it doesn't just happen to addicts."

And fentanyl can show up in any form. Last year, Alameda County issued an alert that bags of brightly colored gummy like substances containing fentanyl had been confiscated by police. The yellow, blue and purple colors signified different strengths and potencies. 


HOW ARE KIDS GETTING THESE DRUGS? 

There is no longer the need to buy from a drug dealer in a dark alley or on a street corner. No need to go to the dark web. These drugs are just a click away ... on SnapChat, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Discord, YouTube, Twitter, Craig's List - or whatever new social media app that's popular these days or coming. Drug dealers have moved from the dark web to open sales on these platforms which have become drug pipelines for kids. Fifteen minutes later, drugs can be delivered to your back door.

Drug dealers approach social media users with attractive deals or if a kid puts out a string of emojis to indicate that they're looking for a drug. If one follows a drug site, more come up in his or her feed, flooding them with opportunities to purchase drugs.  It's called "algorithm amplification". The drug dealer in your pocket.

"Hit my line doing hella deals the rest of this week free delivery of Oxy" was retrieved from the SnapChat account of Daniel Figueroa who on September 2021 died at the age of 20 in in Orange County. Daniel's mother, Perla Mendoza believes the dealer behind this account sold the counterfeit laced Xanax to her son.

Sammy Chapman, forever 16

Sammy was the son of well-known relationship therapist Dr. Laura Berman, who appears on television programs such The Today Show. Sammy lived with his parents and siblings in Santa Monica. He got straight As in school but became lonely during the pandemic, sheltering at home. Upon discovering their son was experimenting with marijuana, Sammy began seeing a therapist once a week and his parents drug tested him regularly.

In February 2021, Sammy was approached by a dealer on SnapChat with a brightly colored menu of drugs for sale. He wanted to experiment and bought what he thought was Xanax but turned out to be Percoset laced with fentanyl. It was delivered to his home. Laura had gone to his bedroom to discuss a potential internship and found him in lying on the ground on his back in what is called a "classic fentanyl death pose", vomit coming out of his mouth. This is what often happens: the user's respiration slows down so much, they pass out, vomit and then choke.  

Daniel Puerta-Johnson died at age 16 in April 2020 in Santa Clarita, CA. "Bored" during the pandemic, he bought Oxy and died after taking half a pill laced with fentanyl. Jaime Puerta believed he bought it off SnapChat but he and his wife, Denise Johnson didn't have Daniel's passcode. When law enforcement subpoenaed SnapChat for the records, Jaime and Denise said it took forever before SnapChat finally released them.  

Parents like the Berman-Chapmans and the Puerta-Johnsons have circulated petitions and marched on SnapChat and other social media headquarters. They lobby company executives and legislators to do more to protect youth from online drug dealers. They and law enforcement complain the companies don't refer cases to the police or easily give up dealers' identifying information, citing privacy and free speech protections. Often they simply they take a profile down, and then the dealer pops up with a different profile name in seconds. 

Social media companies say they are doing everything they can, constantly improving their technological capabilities to detect drug-related activity so they can intervene. They admit dealers are staying ahead of them. But say they're working hard on it. It takes time.

Laura Berman advocates for apps like Bark, which if SnapChat and the sites allow their software access, can detect potential risks on kids' activity and alert parents. She urges parents to know your child's passcode. 

Alexander Neville, forever 14 

Alexander died from one pill thought to be OxyContin in June 2020. Alex began experimenting with marijuana during the pandemic lockdown and developed mood swings. Within a year he was experimenting with mushrooms and acid and entered a month long residential treatment.  He came home happier and more engaged. But within months of coming home, while "bored", he bought fentapills from a dealer he met on SnapChat.

The day before he died, Alex went to his mom, Amy, for help, admitting he couldn't stop taking the pills and wanted to. She made him an appointment the next morning with a rehab facility. He died that night, poisoned by a fake OxyContin pill. She has written SnapChat's CEO, calling him an accomplice to murder and demanding that SnapChat refer cases to law enforcement, not just delete their accounts. The Alexander Neville Foundation has been established to educate and advocate in his memory.

Alexandra Capelouto, forever 20

As is obvious by now, the majority of youth and young adults who died from fentanyl are male. But it happens to girls and young women too. Alexandra grew up in the suburban community of Temecula, CA, with two parents who instilled religion and faith in their children. She was a sociology major at Arizona State on a full academic scholarship. She came home from college for Christmas in 2019 and excitedly went Christmas shopping with her mom.

Alex was found dead in her room after taking an fake Oxy pill with five times the lethal dose of fentanyl. Her parents checked her phone and discovered it had been purchased through a dealer she met on SnapChat. As her father, Matt said,
 it "was as easy as ordering a pizza to be delivered to our house".

CA Legislation on punishment of Fentanyl drug traffickers and dealers. Matt and Christine have worked tirelessly in Sacramento on legislation that they hope will pass someday, SB 350 called Alexandra's Law. It applies the same penalties to traffickers and dealers for fentanyl fatalities as drunk drivers who because fatalities through "implied malice" in a murder charge.

Opponents say the penalties would increase incarceration rates and deter dealers. In March 2021 and again in January 2022, the bill failed to make it out CA State Senate Public Safety Committee. The Capeloutos are continuing their advocacy, hoping to place an initiative on the CA state ballot and defeat the four state senators on the Public Safety Committee who voted to kill the legislation. Zach Didier's parents, Laura and Chris called the committee out too in Sacramento, as the suspected dealer who sold Zach the deadly fentanyl pill was being held without bail in a Placer County Jail.

At the same time in January 2022, the CA Senate Public Safety Committee rejected another bill to address fentanyl, SB 75. It would have added fentanyl to the same category of illicit drugs as heroin and cocaine, resulting in increased sentences of dealers.

Who killed this legislation that would punish fentanyl drug traffickers and dealers who are killing our youth? The following state senators, all representing districts who have experience enormous fentanyl death tolls: 
  • Senator Scott Weiner, representing San Francisco County. (Wiener has also proposed legislation in the past to allow bars and restaurants sell alcohol until 4 am, citing the economic benefits, as well as legislation to decriminalize LSD and MDMA aka ecstasy). 
  • Senator Nancy Skinner, representing Alameda County
  • Senator Sydney Kamlager, representing parts of Los Angeles County
  • Senator Steven Bradford, Committee Chair, representing parts of Los Angeles County
Only Committee Vice-Chair Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh voted to pass these two bills out of committee. So while the CA Senate Public Safety Committee does nothing to hold dealers responsible, the deaths by fentanyl continue...

Kierston Torros-Young, forever 19 

Kierston met a guy on SnapChat, bought Percoset from him and got together with him and watched Netflix. She died in February 2022.

Charlie Ternan, forever 22

Charlie was raised in Pasadena, CA and was three weeks shy of his graduation from Santa Clara University in May 2020. He was an Econ major, in love, and his fraternity brothers and many friends  called him "the glue". Charlie had been prescribed Percocet in 2018 after back surgery. His back was hurting again and a friend who bought what he thought was Percocet shared it with him. Within 30 minutes, Charlie was dead in his room.

Through their organization, Song for Charlie, named after music written in his memory, Charlie's parents, Ed and Mary Ternan, spread awareness among parents and particularly among kids and young adults. They have a SnapChat campaign which targets the most vulnerable age group of 13-24 year olds.

The Ternans want to spend the message that casual use of prescription pills is not smart, sharing random pills is uncool and buying them online is extremely risky. They want to change the "quick fix" mindset of managing stress and anxiety so that pharmaceuticals aren't the "go-to" solution. Like so many kids his age, Charlie took Xanax on occasion when he had time to chill and play video games. His parents and friends say he wasn't addicted - that it was just a normal and accepted thing kids did at college. Ed and Mary want to change that and spread the word there can't be casual use anymore when it comes to drugs.

WHY IN THE WORLD DO DRUG DEALERS RISK KILLING THEIR CUSTOMERS?

In short, it makes good business sense to kill a customer or two. Fentanyl is cheap to make, easy to smuggle and the profits are enormous. Because of this, the supply is huge. As reporter and author Sam Quinones explains, given the competition among dealers created by all this supply, once one dealer adds fentanyl to whatever he’s selling, his competitors must follow suit or they will lose customers. 

And the demand is there. Thanks to the pharmaceutical industry, opioids and pills from Xanax to Adderall have become "go to's" in our American society with adults and their children, whether it's dealing with stress and anxiety or partying it up or studying to get those straight As.

Quinones explains that fentanyl turns "an occasional buyer" (i.e. occasional/party drug user) "into an opioid-addicted daily customer". Dealers understand the drug-addicted brain that convinces addicts they can only function with the drug, even if it kills. And tragically, addicted fentanyl users need the drug to prevent sickness from withdrawal. Many addicts won't buy any drugs that don't include fentanyl.

WHAT'S A PARENT TO DO (AND NOT DO)?

If you've made it to this point, you are now educated on fentanyl and more completely understand the devastating impact its had on families in our communities. This is the part of the newsletter where you take deep breaths and know that the vast majority of teens will not use street drugs or counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl.  

Nonetheless, parents should make every effort possible to prevent any substance use that could result in a fentanyl overdose or poisoning. If it happens, you will know you did everything a parent can do. Common sense measures include:
  • Talk with your child and pay attention as to what's going on with them. First, share these fentanyl facts and stories with your children. Don't just drop fentanyl and kids dying in one big drug talk. The topic of substance use needs to be an ongoing conversation and not a lecture.

    Know that your child will be more receptive if you are communicating effectively and your relationship is already strong.  So keep working on that relationship with your child, staying attuned to what's REALLY going on with them (not just that they are getting good grades). Ask questions from a place of curiosity, then listen and keep the conversations continuing. Our BTI website has many practical tips on talking with your child, attachment and authoritative parenting, setting boundaries and more to help. And never fail to say that you love them no matter what. 
     
  • Lock up any prescription medications you are using. Keeping them lying around in your medicine cabinet increases the chances they'll be curious and try some. If they like the way it feels, the next time they may get it on SnapChat.
     
  • Safely dispose of unused or expired prescription medication. Twice a year, in October and April, the DEA sponsors Prescription Drug Take Back Days. The next one is April 30, 2022.  Go to RxSafe Marin's list of safe disposal sites are in your community or google for the ones in your community.  Many neighborhood pharmacies and police stations accept returned prescription drugs year round.
     
  • Model healthy ways to cope with stress, anxiety and pain.  We say it over and over again -what parents do matters more than what we say.  If you need pain medication, emphasize the need to use it as little as possible for short periods of time. Don't joke about needing a Xanax after a stressful day! 

  • Monitor your child's social media, Venmo account or spending as much as possible. This can be challenging, but it is a matter of their health and safety to do so and know passcodes. And check out the Bark app and see if your child's social media accepts the software.
     
  • If you think your child is struggling or having substance use issues, seek professional help, whether it's a mental health professional or an addiction therapists for your options (it's not just limited to wilderness programs or rehab facilities.

Learn about and consider the "Invitation to Change Approach", an innovative evidence-based approach that Marion Kregeloh is passionately spreading the word on. It's to help parents and others address substance use and mental health issues in their children and loved ones. Through a program by the Center for Motivation and Change (CMC) that incorporates "CRAFT" (Community Reinforcement and Family Training, developed by Robert Myers (author of "Get Your Loved Ones Sober") and motivational and behavioral strategies, parents learn techniques to spur change in their children.

The book by Dr. Jeffrey Foote and others at CMC, "Beyond Addiction: How Science and Kindness Help People Change”, together with their "20-Minute Parent Guide" teaches these techniques. It dispels traditional notions and old myths about addiction (eg., let them hit rock bottom"). There are also trainings through the CMC Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to sharing this approach through workshops, support groups, written resources and training.
  • Spread the word on fentanyl and other drugs and join us - through community organizations, such as RxSafe Marin, Marin Healthy Youth Partnerships or Marin Residents for Public Health Cannabis Policies (BTI works with all of these groups) - or by reaching out to the many parents and their own organizations mentioned in this newsletter. They are working on a multitude of fronts, from education to advocacy.
     
  • Know what drug education is in your schools. Chances are it's lacking, either without any standardized curriculum taught the same way by qualified instructors. Or it may not be enough - a few lessons in middle school in Gym class or freshman year in Social Issues Classes.
Make sure it's strong on fentanyl and the message that One Kill Can Pill and that it can be laced into any street drug and to never buy off social media. And see whether it properly addresses today's potent forms of cannabis, that are being normalized and marketed as safe and natural. If it's not all of these things, then advocate with other parents and students for more. The students at Redwood HS are already doing so in this Redwood HS Bark Editorial  Support them.
  • Know these signs of an overdose - and share with your child:
  1. Shallow and slow or absent breathing
  2. Unresponsiveness
  3. Slow heartbeat
  4. Vomiting or making of gurgling noise
  5. Cold and Clammy skin
  6. Bluish color to lips, nails, and fingertips
  7. Tiny/pinpoint pupils 
  • Most importantly get Narcan (Naloxone) into your First Aid Kits.  Have it at the ready, at home and in your car.  Narcan can be administered through a nasal spray or an injection that reverses an overdose of fentanyl, as well as opioids, heroin and other substances. It blocks opioid receptors in the brain.

    Narcan works and it is available for free. See this RxSafe Marin  webpage for how it works and a list of where it can be obtained. Know it can take several doses or hits to reduce the fentanyl levels. So administer it right away and call 911. It can save a life.
     
  • Finally, make sure your child knows about Good Samaritan laws. Explained on our BTI blog, When to Call 911 and What to Do, if you seek medical help and stay with the person who is overdosing, you will be protected from any legal consequences. Tragically many people don't do this.
Dimitri Mustaca's story. Dimitri was 20 years old when he died in Marin County in 2018 of a counterfeit Xanax laced with fentanyl. Dimitri's grandmother, Lisa, says he regularly used cannabis and at times, took pills to get to sleep. A year before he died, she remembers talking with him about the dangers of fentanyl. She'll never forget his reply: "Nana, do you think I'm dumb? You have nothing to worry about". The night before he died, he went to a concert at Terrapin Crossroads with his girlfriend of one year and a friend he was living with. Lisa believes that someone there gave him the pill he took that night to sleep, thinking it was a Xanax. Instead it was laced with fentanyl.

What is most tragic is that Dimitri might have been saved. When his girlfriend and friend saw that he was in trouble, they they ran off instead of calling for help. Nine hours later, someone who didn't identify himself (most probably the "friend") called 911 from a throw-away phone, saying that "someone should check on" Dimitri. It was way too late.  California's good samaritan laws would have protected Dimitri's accomplices  had they called for help right away. 

We've lost so many kids and young adults. This short video, "The Lost Voices of Fentanyl" has too many senior year photos of the young we've lost to fentanyl. #GoneButNotForgotten. 

As Michelle Leopold concludes, "kids should learn from their mistakes - not die from them." 

- Be the Influence

P.S. Don't forget about ...
TONIGHT. Tuesday, March 29 at 6 pm via Zoom here for our students' "CALL TO ACTION: The Fentanyl Crisis in Marin" to hear more from students at Redwood, Archie Williams, San Rafael and Novato High Schools - the ones who matter. 

Copyright © 2021 Be The Influence 


unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences