During Monday’s House Health and Human Services Committee meeting, health experts and law enforcement warned lawmakers of a burgeoning crisis with Arizona’s youth: fentanyl, a dangerous drug overtaking the opioid market. The drug often appears in “M30” pills, which are purported by sellers to be oxycodone.
Chairman Joanne Osborne (R-Goodyear) explained the need for the meeting arose out of the increased issue of both prescribed and illegal narcotics. According to the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS), heroin deaths have been decreasing while opioid deaths have increased. The National Conference of State Legislatures appointed Osborne last year as an Opioid Policy Fellow.
Phoenix Children’s Hospital (PCH) pediatrician and American Academy of Pediatrics spokesperson Dr. Gary Kirkilas shared that adult opioid overdose deaths outnumbered car accident deaths for the first time in 2019. Kirkilas added that he fears the same will become true of children, considering the trajectory of their overdoses. He shared that there were 93 pediatric car fatalities in 2020; total opioid overdoses reached 60, with 57 of those caused by fentanyl. Deaths related to substance abuse increased 32 percent from 2019 to 2020.
“I fear that if we don’t do something, the pediatric overdoses and deaths are going to eclipse the car accident deaths,” said Kirkilas. “Just anecdotally, the pediatric rooms are filled with kids coming in with opioids — either they’re intoxicated or overdosing.”
Tomorrow I’ll be presenting to the Arizona House Health Committee on another public health crisis: Pediatric #Opioid#Overdoses. 60 children lost there lives to opioids in AZ in 2020…unacceptable and sad. pic.twitter.com/502Q8Vujzh
On top of that, there were similar numbers of homicides and suicides: 53 and 49. Kirkilas explained that the suicides were even related to the opioids: often children use drugs to self-medicate for mental health issues.
Kirkilas reported that marijuana appears in near-equal rates to fentanyl in the hospitalized children’s systems. He related this correlation to the fact that many children encounter fentanyl inadvertently, through M30 pills. Fentanyl M30 pills are nearly indistinguishable disguised from their prescribed oxycodone counterparts.
“Our public enemy is M30s. When I do my screenings and I ask, ‘Are you using any substances?’ It usually comes up that they’re using cannabis, and it also comes up that they’re using prescription drugs,” said Kirkilas. “I don’t even have to really ask them what they’re using, I know the next thing they’re going to say is ‘M30s.’ It’s everywhere. It’s in every party, every high school. It doesn’t matter if you’re from a high-income family, affluent neighborhood, or a low-income, not affluent neighborhood.”
Kirkilas suggested that the legislature make a greater effort to disrupt drug culture that attracts kids, such as removing billboards advertising marijuana; interrupt the supply, such as making it more difficult to access oxycodone; and offer more readily accessible resources for behavioral health.
Contrary to popular belief, Mexico and its cartels aren’t the true root of fentanyl and other opioids.
Arizona Department of Public Safety Director Colonel Heston Silbert explained that China, and even India, are the root of the fentanyl and meth crisis. Those two countries ship the chemicals to Mexico, where they are produced into drugs.
“These problems don’t happen without a geopolitical perspective and impact,” said Silbert. “Without these precursor drugs from these countries, the Mexican cartels could not produce in the quantities they do. The drugs that hit the United States of America. When you’re getting upset with what the cartels do and the complicity of the Mexican government, you have to look at the governments of both China and India, particularly that of China.”
Silbert warned that the drugs coming over have been cut with other drugs, like adderall — a drug popular with youth. He likened the country’s interstate system to an “arterial system pumping illicit drugs into our communities.”
As for solutions, Silbert requested the legislature to enhance sentencing for possession for sale, rather than coming down hard on mere possession. He asserted that those using were in need of rehabilitation efforts, but those intending to sell are connected to larger organized crime.
“There’s no middle man anymore. It comes in here,” said Silbert.There’s not this huge criminal organization who is the hub. Anyone’s the hub now [….] Anybody can be a dealer, and really on pennies on the dollar.”
Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb requested that the legislature put politics aside and put a stop to where the drugs come into the country. Lamb explained his county experience overdoses so often — 115 overdoses and 71 suicides in 2020, 127 overdoses and 84 suicides in 2021 — that law enforcement carries narcan, a drug to reverse an overdose.
“I think some of the issues we’re talking about today are truly American issues. They transcend politics,” said Lamb. “When I wake up in the morning, it’s not COVID that’s on my mind. It’s, ‘How do I stop fentanyl from killing our communities? How do I stop our children from committing suicide?’ More kids have committed suicide in 2020 than have died of COVID, yet we did nothing in the schools to address the fentanyl issue.”
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
A proposed bill, HB2488, would prevent Arizona or any public utilities from entering into contracts with companies unless the contracts stipulate that they don’t and won’t rely on forced labor of the Uyghurs within China. The Uyghurs are a Muslim ethnic group that the Chinese government has detained in “reeducation camps” since 2017.
State Representative Justin Wilmeth (R-Phoenix) introduced the bill, pulling in nine cosponsors with him: Majority Whip Leo Biasiucci (R-Lake Havasu City) and Assistant Minority Leader Jennifer Longdon (D-Phoenix), along with State Representatives Shawnna Bolick (R-Phoenix), Frank Carroll (R-Sun City West), Joseph Chaplik (R-Scottsdale), Steve Kaiser (R-Phoenix), Teresa Martinez (R-Casa Grande), Quang Nguyen (R-Prescott), and Amish Shah (D-Phoenix).
If passed, states and any of its political subdivisions or agencies, boards, commissions, or departments would be limited from engaging in contracts without confirmation that labor hasn’t and won’t be derived from the imprisoned Uyghurs. The bill extends to organizations, associations, corporations, partnerships, joint ventures, limited partnerships, limited liability partnerships, limited liability companies or other entities or business associations including a wholly-owned subsidiary, majority-owned subsidiary, parent company, or affiliate that engages in for-profit activity and that has 10 or more full-time employees.
“A public entity may not enter into a contract with a company to acquire or dispose of services, supplies, information technology, goods or construction unless the contract includes a written certification that the company does not currently, and agrees for the duration of the contract that it will not, use: 1) The forced labor of ethnic Uyghurs in the People’s Republic of China. 2) Any goods or services produced by the forced labor of ethnic Uyghurs in the People’s Republic of China. 3) Any contractors, subcontractors, or suppliers that use the forced labor or any goods or services produced by the forced labor of ethnic Uyghurs in the People’s Republic of China.”
In a press release, Wilmeth alluded that the Uyghurs’ treatment is paramount to the 20th century detainments of the Jewish and Japanese peoples.
“As a student of history, I know what happens when good people remain silent,” stated Wilmeth. “The Chinese Communist Party keeping millions of people locked in internment camps, which harkens back to the darkest chapters of the 20th century. HB 2488 sends a strong message that the State of Arizona won’t do business with anyone that turns a blind eye to this horrible human rights abuse.”
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) released a report earlier this month on the Uyghurs explaining that the minority group is subject to forced labor within the textile, apparel, agricultural, consumer electronics, and other industries under threat of detention. Additionally, Uyghurs suffer forced assimilation efforts by outlawing their traditional dress and appearance, customs, and dietary laws; demolishing or shutting down mosques; reducing birth rates through forced sterilization and birth control; requiring their children attend state-run boarding schools; forcing them to renounce their beliefs; and installing Chinese spies and law enforcement within their homes and communities to monitor their compliance. The research reported that former detainees described poor detainment conditions: factory labor, crowded and unsanitary conditions, food deprivation, psychological coercion, sexual abuse, medical neglect, and even torture that sometimes led to death.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
A group of Afghan refugees were caught wandering the golf course of a local gated resort community in Scottsdale, according to security reports first obtained by the Arizona Daily Independent. The group was part of the Afghan refugees housed at the Homewood Suites, a nearby hotel that made headlines last year for sheltering illegal immigrants for around seven months. The refugees aren’t confined to the hotel and permitted to roam the surrounding areas at their leisure; the hotel sits across the street from the gated community.
Mike Anderson — security director for the community, Gainey Ranch Golf and Country Club — informed residents that the refugees were anticipated to be gone from the nearby hotel by April. Anderson further informed residents that their staff had upped security measures.
“The Homewood Suites site is being used by the federal government to temporarily house Afghan refugees evacuated by the U.S. in August 2021. The families and individuals housed there are free to come and go as they please,” wrote Anderson. “These individuals who are found walking on the course GRCA believes are from the settlement program defined above and followed vehicles in through the north vehicle entry gate. The individuals were escorted out of the community.”
As AZ Free News reported last week, not even Scottsdale’s leadership or law enforcement were apprised of the refugee situation until over a week after the federal government began to house them in the hotel. Although the hotel no longer functions as the Homewood Suites — or even would be identified legally as the Homewood Suites — the managing company answered the phones last year and again this week as the “Homewood Suites.”
It appears that the lack of notice from the federal government didn’t give Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) leadership any pause.
Unlike their response to parental concerns over the presence of comprehensive sex education (CRE) and critical race theory (CRT) in curriculum, SUSD was quick to act when they learned of the refugee children. AZ Free News reported Sunday on Superintendent Scott Menzel’s announcement promising SUSD would immediately plan to provide educational services and support to around 80 school-aged Afghan children.
Gainey Club security alerted the Scottsdale Police Department (SPD) of the trespass incident. SPD contacted the group managing the hotel, one hired by the International Rescue Committee (IRC), to put the refugees on notice about trespassing at Gainey Ranch.
Locals have begun to report sightings of Afghans panhandling on the streets.
Hey @dougducey just drove by Shea & Scottsdale – on each corner Afghan families panhandling! How did you think this was a good idea? Seriously! @scottsdaleazgov are you going to do something about this?
State Representative Quang Nguyen (R-Prescott) introduced HB2449, a bill to ensure that long-term care facility residents have a right to visitation from clergymen. According to the bill, a care facility must allow clergy visitation if they allow any in-person visitation of any kind, even during a state of emergency. Additionally, care facilities must allow clergy visitation when a patient’s death is imminent and either the patient or their representative requests the visit. The bill covered any health concerns by allowing care facilities to impose health and safety precautions on clergymen, and barring visitors from holding the care facility liable for contracting any communicable diseases during their visit.
If a care facility denies clergy visitation, the requestor or religious organization would have the right to take legal action against the facility. The legislation would apply to assisted living centers, facilities, and homes; hospice; and institutions that provide nursing care or residential care.
Nguyen hearkened back to the restrictive visitation protocols imposed for the better part of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced severe isolation upon the hospitalized and elderly. In a statement, Nguyen insisted that one’s spiritual health bears equal importance to physical health.
“Some of the restrictive visitation policies put in place by facilities during the coronavirus pandemic ended up having consequences far beyond that of protecting patient health,” said Nguyen. “Onerous restrictions detrimentally separated patients from their families, clergy, and others for long periods. For many, spiritual care is as important as health care. It must also be accommodated when providing comfort and support for patients in long-term care facilities. My bill will help ensure that it is.”
Sweeping visitation bans on care facilities led to the rapid physical and mental decline of residents, with families nationwide reporting observations of their loved ones declining rapidly in their “COVID Isolation” and dying of loneliness, broken hearts, and neglect.
The bill attracted nearly all House Republicans as cosponsors with the exception of State Representatives Tim Dunn (R-Yuma), Mark Finchem (R-Oro Valley), John Kavanagh (R-Fountain Hills), Joanne Osborne (R-Goodyear), and Michelle Udall (R-Mesa).
There were several senators who signed on as cosponsors as well: State Senators Paul Boyer (R-Glendale) and Sine Kerr (R-Buckeye).
Nguyen’s bill has yet to be considered by the legislature.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
Nearly 300 Afghan refugees are being relocated to a former hotel in Scottsdale after being housed at various military installations, resulting in the mobilization of a Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) team “to plan for providing educational services and support” to any school-aged refugees, according to Superintendent Scott Menzel.
SUSD “has an obligation to provide educational services to homeless students who reside within the district,” Menzel noted in a district newsletter. That obligation is based on compliance with the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.
“While we did not anticipate this influx of new students, we are committed to marshalling the resources and supports necessary to ensure that these children are welcomed into our schools as they transition to their news lives in this country,” he wrote.
The newsletter comments also referenced questions raised by some in the community about whether the district should be serving the refuge children. Instead of addressing public health, staffing, and security concerns, Menzel simply cited federal law as leaving the district no option.
Although Menzel’s comments were included in the recent newsletter, there has been nothing posted to SUSD’s Facebook page. In addition, district officials have not disclosed what conversations they have had with state and federal officials about compensation for the sudden influx of non-English speaking students.
More information is expected to be made public on Jan. 25 when the SUSD governing board meets.
Last August, Gov. Doug Ducey stated that Afghan refugees will be welcomed in Arizona. He noted that the Arizona Department of Economic Security, through its Arizona Office of Refugee Resettlement, would help secure housing, employment, and education for the refugees.
The refugees are being housed at the former Homewood Suites on North Scottsdale Road. The property is currently in bankruptcy but was approved by federal officials in early 2021 as a contracted temporary migrant transition facility.
There was no advance notice to Scottsdale city officials about the migrant arrangement last year. That contract expired at the year of 2021, but now the non-profit International Rescue Committee (IRC) is utilizing the massive hotel property for the next few months as temporary housing while efforts are undertaken to place each refuge or refugee family unit in homes with sponsors in the greater Phoenix area.
Some refugees began arriving at the Homewood Suites before Jan. 14. According to Scottsdale Police Chief Jeff Walther, “next to no one was aware” that the property was being repurposed.
Walther issued an advisory to Mayor David Ortega and council members before Menzel’s comments, noting there was no heads up to local authorities about the IRC’s plans to house unsupervised Afghan refugees within the city.
The IRC has now told city officials that the site is expected to use only through April. As far as security, IRC plans to hire security guards but made it clear that the refugees are free to come and go as they wish.
Security was not in place prior to the arrival of the first group of refugees, Walther noted. The refugees are expected to be gone from the hotel property by April, according to Walther.
“This is a federal government activity over which the city of Scottsdale has no oversight,” a city spokesperson recently told AZ Free News.
While Menzel was reticent about the situation, one of his school principal’s issued a detailed email to Cherokee Elementary staff. He reported that more than 80 school-aged refugees are expected to be enrolled across three, possibly four, SUSD schools.
Those students, according to Principal Walter Chantler, could speak one of four languages. And many of the youth, particularly the girls, have never been in school.
In a move prompted in part by Big Tech’s interference in the 2020 election, State Representative Shawnna Bolick (R-Phoenix) introduced a bill to prohibit election officials from running a political action committee (PAC).
The bill, HB2270, is concise: 50 words total. It exempts those PACs backing an election official’s own campaign.
“An individual who is an election officer or employee or who oversees any significant aspect of election operations may not be a chairperson, treasurer, or other member of a political action committee,” read the bill. “This section does not apply to an individual’s membership in a candidate committee for that individual’s own candidacy.”
In a statement, Bolick recounted how Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s foundation, the Center for Tech and Civic Life (CTCL), gave over $5 million to counties across Arizona, with $3 million to Maricopa County alone. She expressed gratitude that the legislature passed a law last year barring election offices from receiving private funds.
“Leading up to the 2020 elections, money from Big Tech and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg played an outsized influence in Arizona’s elections,” said Bolick. “Arizonans want us to restore election integrity and their faith in their election officers to conduct fair and honest elections. This bill would ensure Arizona is not for sale by special interests or out-of-state billionaires. It is time to close the final loophole by prohibiting an election officer or employee who oversees any significant aspect of election operations from running a political action committee that could potentially sway an election outcome.”
If passed, the bill could squash the aspirations of some prominent figures associated with the contentious 2020 election. One such figure would be Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, who launched a PAC last November, a little over a year after the presidential election.
Richer’s PAC, Pro-Democracy Republicans of Arizona, backs those GOP candidates running for legislative and county-level seats that profess a Lincoln Project or Republican Accountability Project-esque stance, as reported by AZ Mirror: “acknowledg[ing] validity of the 2020 election and condemn[ing] the events of January 6, 2021 as a terrible result of the lies told about the November election.”
The Republican Accountability Project is an initiative by the Democratic “Never-Trump” dark money group, Defending Democracy Together. Last September, Richer and Maricopa County Supervisor Bill Gates appeared in a video by the group to discuss the Senate’s election audit led by Cyber Ninjas as well as the January 6 riot. Afterwards, Richer told AZ Free News that he believed January 6 reminded him of the French Revolution.
State Representatives Walt Blackman (R-Snowflake), Frank Carroll (R-Sun City West, Joseph Chaplik (R-Scottsdale), Lupe Diaz (R-Hereford), and Quang Nguyen (R-Prescott) cosponsored Bolick’s bill.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
