Fentanyl-related deaths have increased in Collin County during the last four years. More than 70 deaths in 2022 were reported to have some amount of fentanyl in the blood, according to the Collin County medical examiner. In 2019, the medical examiner found fentanyl in the bloodstreams of 11 people who died.
In addition to National Fentanyl Awareness Day, which was recognized May 9, community officials have worked to raise awareness around the Frisco community. Frisco ISD hosted a town hall April 20 that featured city and Collin County officials. The Potter’s House of North Dallas, a church located in east Frisco, also broadcast an information panel for its congregation May 12.
The FISD town hall featured representatives from the Frisco Police Department, the city, the district and Grace to Change, an addiction treatment center in McKinney.
During the FISD town hall, school resource officer Travis Sullivan provided information about fentanyl and what the police department has experienced.
“It is definitely in our community,” Sullivan said during the FISD town hall. “I’ve seen it firsthand.”Frisco Medical Director Mark Gamber 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 comparable to pain relievers such as oxycodone and hydrocodone, is 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin, according to a presentation during the FISD town hall meeting.
It’s most commonly found posing as “Blue M30” pills. Drugs containing fentanyl are most commonly purchased through social media apps such as Snapchat, Instagram, Telegram and Whatsapp, according to law enforcement officials.
“Dealers are pushing it into our communities in any way, shape or form,” said Grant Cottingham, public information officer 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 to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As little as two milligrams of fentanyl 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 Administration 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 effects of an overdose from opioids including heroin, morphine, methadone and fentanyl, according to the CDC. The treatment is temporary 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 Califf said.
“The FDA remains committed to addressing the evolving complexities of the overdose crisis,” Califf said in the news release. “As part of this work, the agency has used its regulatory authority to facilitate greater access to naloxone by encouraging the development of and approving an over-the-counter naloxone product to address the dire public health need.”
The Texas Legislature also considered 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 officers, Cottingham said. The special investigations unit focuses on removing fentanyl from Frisco’s streets while school resource officers 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 discussing 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 confirmed that all nurses, clinic assistants and administrative staff at all campuses were trained on the use of Narcan before the 2022-23 school year began.
School resource officers are trained by the FPD and have carried Narcan for the past three years, Cottingham said. All of the police department’s patrol officers also carry Narcan.
“There’s no downside to using Narcan,” 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 sheriffs have seized increasing quantities of fentanyl on north Texas highways each of the last several years, Collin County Sheriff Jim Skinner said in an email. Collin County has seen a 1,032% increase in the number of fatal fentanyl poisonings from 2018 to 2022, according to the Collin County Medical Examiners.
“Because of the nature of transnational criminal organizations, cartels, and illicit drug trafficking, there’s no way to track illicit fentanyl,” he said.
Instead, law enforcement officers try to intercept smuggling vehicles along the highways while the sheriff’s office watches other statistics such as overdoses and overdose deaths.
Two criminal investigators at the sheriff’s office have been assigned to work on drug cases, including cases related to fentanyl. In a fentanyl overdose case, they will try to identify the victim’s source and make an arrest, Skinner said.
“Since August 2022, they have investigated eight fentanyl-overdose cases, and they have arrested three suspects and seized cash from one suspected dealer,” he said.
Be prepared
For family members and friends wondering how they can help, law enforcement officials recommend keeping vigilant and having open conversations.
If a person needs pain medication, they should talk to a physician or a health care provider, Skinner said. People should not borrow or exchange prescription medication with others.
“A person should not buy medication online, except from a reputable source,” he said.
Those in need of medication can locate state-licensed online pharmacies across the U.S. via the FDA’s BeSafeRX online database. The website also provides resources for consumers interested in purchasing medications online.
Cottingham recommended parents stay involved with their kids and talk to them about drugs. In addition to learning more about fentanyl, he encouraged people to spread the word about it.
“People may be aware of it but they don’t understand the degree or depth to which it’s truly a problem,” he said.
Parents should keep an eye out for any type of drug paraphernalia, Cottingham said. Paraphernalia items could include a rolled dollar bill with drug residue on it or burnt tin foil.
If anybody is worried they have a drug user in their household, they should look into purchasing Narcan, Cottingham said.
“It takes [first responders] several minutes to get to an overdose and those could be critical,” he said.
Since Preston’s death, Michael has started an initiative to visit 25 national parks to raise awareness about fentanyl. At each park he plans to ride 7 miles on his bicycle in honor of Preston.
Through mid-May, Michael had visited about half of the national parks on his list. One of his goals lies in generating conversation with other parents and kids about the dangers of fentanyl.
“I’m not law enforcement,” Michael said. “I’m not a politician. I can’t stop it but I can help parents talk to their kids.”
