by Daniel Stefanski | May 10, 2024 | Education, News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Arizona’s school’s chief is taking on the state’s fentanyl crisis.
Earlier this week, Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne announced the creation of “an initiative to supply schools with the anti-overdose drug Narcan and a statewide task force to address this crisis.”
According to the press release issued by the Arizona Department of Education, “among all age groups, Arizona recorded more than 1,800 opioid-related deaths and more than 4,000 overdoses in 2023.”
In a statement to accompany his announcement, Horne said, “Sadly, overdoses are a reality for school-aged children throughout Arizona. Fentanyl can kill students within minutes of an overdose. It is vitally important that all schools have Narcan available to help save student lives if it should happen on campus. With the establishment of the STOPIT task force, we will work to get Narcan into schools and assist with training for its use. I am also endorsing the work of The Sold Out Youth Foundation, which has excellent resources to address this ongoing crisis.”
The School Training Overdose Preparedness and Intelligence Taskforce (STOPIT) “will include representatives from schools, health care, law enforcement and other interested stakeholders,” as per the information received from Horne’s office. Terros Health and the Mayo Clinic have expressed support for the taskforce.
Dr. Holly Geyer, Addiction Medicine Specialist at Mayo Clinic Scottsdale said, “There has never been a greater need to prepare the next generation with the knowledge and tools necessary to combat the opioid epidemic. With more than 50 percent of U.S. fentanyl being trafficked directly through our state, we are ground zero. It’s time to bring solutions as big as the problem to the table. This taskforce has assembled a wide array of proven thought leaders whose collective expertise can and will change the landscape of our state’s opioid overdose trends.”
Dr. Karen Hoffman Tepper, president and CEO of Terros Health said,”Terros Health is honored to join the STOPIT task force. Too many young people are being impacted by the harmful effects of fentanyl. Our team has been on the front lines, educating thousands of Arizonians on when and how to use Narcan and we have seen it save lives. We look forward to working collaboratively to make this life-saving tool available in every school and community.”
In addition to the initiative and task force, Horne also endorsed an effort to get free anti-drug awareness materials into all Arizona schools.” He shared his support of the Sold Out Youth Foundation, which “provides interactive online materials warning of the dangers of illegal drugs, proven Accredited Fentanyl Education Curriculum and online platform and promoting health and wellness and fitness education.”
Sold Out President Roman Gabriel III said, “Sold Out is committed to partnering with K-12 public schools attacking our countries current youth drug, alcohol, and mental health crisis. The SOYF Program is saving lives by equipping school staff, parents and students with a comprehensive program that includes a PLA Accredited Fentanyl Education Platform. The emphasis is on education and awareness for parents and students to understand the grave dangers that this deadly poison poses, and in turn saving lives.”
The Republican Superintendent added, “The American Medical Association reports that overdose deaths nationally among adolescents has doubled since 2019. Fentanyl is responsible for more than three-quarters of those deaths and Arizona is not immune from this scourge. The rise of illicit fentanyl and its trafficking via social media is having a disproportionate impact on our children. This is a tragedy beyond words, it shows no sign of abating and schools are a vital resource to educate children on these dangers.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Corinne Murdock | Jan 20, 2024 | News
By Corinne Murdock |
A Prescott mother blames Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for her daughter’s death.
In testimony to Congress on Thursday, Josephine Dunn explained that her daughter, Ashley, overdosed from fentanyl trafficked through the border in May 2021. Dunn testified on the day that would have been her daughter’s 29th birthday. Mayorkas declined to appear for that hearing.
“In my humble opinion, Mr. Mayorkas’ border policy is partially responsible for my daughter’s death. His wide-open border policy allows massive quantities of poisonous fentanyl into our country. Arizona is the fentanyl superhighway into the United States,” said Dunn. “We need to close the fentanyl superhighway; we need to close the border.”
The border crisis initiated under President Joe Biden ushered in a tidal wave of fentanyl trafficking. The surge in overdoses and deaths from the potent drug has resulted in its classification as an epidemic.
The fatal overdose of Dunn’s daughter prompted several attempts to pass an eponymous law in the state legislature, the Ashley Dunn Act, to charge drug dealers with homicide if their product contributed to the death of a user. State Rep. Quang Nguyen (R-LD01) carried the law both times.
Lawmakers have shot down the bill during both the 2022 and 2023 sessions. Some have contended that the law would be unconstitutional since it allows homicide charges for individuals whose actions weren’t a direct cause for the victim’s death. Former users also have argued that such a bill would strip accountability from the users themselves. Proponents argued that it would result in fewer drug deaths and deter distributors from selling lethal drugs.
In response to Dunn’s testimony, Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ-02) noted that the current Biden administration tasks Border Patrol with taking in and taking care of illegal immigrants more so than preventing illegal migration.
“The Biden Admin has tied the hands of our Border Patrol and sabotaged our national security,” said Crane. “The money the Biden Admin is requesting for ‘border security’ would be used to process more aliens into our communities NOT for protecting Americans.”
According to Maricopa County, fentanyl constitutes 60 percent of all drug-related deaths and has become the deadliest drug in the state.
In 2023, the Arizona Department of Health Services (AZDHS) documented over 1,600 confirmed opioid deaths in the state and over 4,000 non-fatal opioid overdoses. So far, the data indicates that there were less deaths than there were in 2022 and 2021, which had over 1,900 and over 2,000 opioid deaths respectively, but more overdoses: there were just over 3,400 opioid overdoses in 2022 and just over 3,700 overdoses in 2021.
Naloxone, the overdose reversal drug, was administered nearly 6,000 times this past year compared to over 8,000 times in 2022 and over 7,100 times in 2021.
However, AZDHS noted that the data may not be complete for the months of September through December of last year.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
by Daniel Stefanski | Dec 26, 2023 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
The U.S. government obtained a guilty plea in its prosecution over a case of fentanyl possession across the southern border.
Earlier this month, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona announced that Nathan Hernandez, a 20-year-old from Yuma, had “pleaded guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl.” The Office revealed that Hernandez would be sentenced before U.S. District Judge Michael T. Liburdi, who was appointed by President Donald J. Trump, on March 25, 2024. This conviction, per the government’s information, “carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $1,000,000.”
According to the press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, “Hernandez admitted that on November 3, 2023, he entered the United States through the San Luis Port of Entry in San Luis, Arizona, with 115.04 pounds of fentanyl pills hidden in a non-factory compartment of his 2020 Dodge Ram.” The young man also confessed that “he possessed the fentanyl with the intent to deliver it to another person.”
Data from the U.S. Sentencing Commission in 2021 showed that 86.3 percent of fentanyl drug trafficking convictions were U.S. citizens, while 8.9 percent of convictions were illegal immigrants and 4.3% for legal non-citizens. The vast majority of fentanyl seizures occur at ports of entry or vehicle check points – 91 percent. However, with the overwhelming number of ‘gotaways’ and the strategic abilities of cartels and smugglers to evade detection with their loads, the amount of illicit drugs escaping detection wouldn’t likely be known to government officials.
In 2022, The Washington Post published an article about the proliferation of fentanyl from Mexico to the United States, citing estimations from unnamed federal drug agents that “they are seizing 5 to 10 percent of the drugs coming from Mexico – if that much.” The article also stated that “agents say it has been nearly impossible to stop fentanyl trafficking” at the border.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Nov 19, 2023 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Another major drug smuggling bust occurred near the southern border in Arizona this week.
On Tuesday afternoon, U.S. Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens announced on the platform “X” that his agents had “interdicted 2 smuggling loads consisting of over 304 lbs. of fentanyl worth over $1.9M.”
Chief Owens revealed that the apprehension of the drugs occurred in Nogales and Wilcox.
Fox News reporter Bill Melugin added context to the news, sharing the Drug Enforcement Administration’s estimation that “one kilo of fentanyl equals 500,000 potential lethal doses.” Melugin did the math, finding that these latest encounters added up to 138 kilos. He wrote that the “Border Patrol potentially saved a LOT of lives” – possibly 69 million lives from these doses alone.
Border officials continue to find record numbers of fentanyl at the border. In the just-completed fiscal year, ending in September, agents apprehended over 27,000 pounds of fentanyl at the border, which was more than the previous two years combined. According to reporting from the Washington Post, the amount of this extremely deadly drug that is seized by law enforcement is only a fraction of the total numbers that are smuggled into the interior of the country.
Arizona leaders are concerned about the proliferation of fentanyl across the border and polluting communities across the state. Earlier this year, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with Vice President Kamala Harris and other attorneys general about the fentanyl crisis affecting much of the country. After her meeting, Mayes revealed she told the attendees that her office “and our law enforcement partners have seized approximately 7.8 million fentanyl pills.” Mayes added, “We need to throw everything we can at this crisis – new technology at the border, enhanced and strengthened partnerships, and access to more funding. I stand ready to work with anyone committed to solving this crisis so we can save lives and help Arizona families and communities heal.”
Governor Katie Hobbs has also acknowledged the threat that fentanyl and other drugs pose to Arizonans. In September, the governor issued a press release to highlight a meeting she had with law enforcement and other southern Arizona officials. At the time, her office shared that “DPS has seized over 12,200 pounds of drugs” to date in 2023. Hobbs wrote, “My administration has worked tirelessly to support border communities, stem the flow of drugs and human trafficking, and keep our neighborhoods safe.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Apr 13, 2023 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
The threat of fentanyl is becoming too great for any political party to ignore, but Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs jettisoned a bipartisan proposal to protect Arizona children from this deadly drug.
Earlier this month, Governor Hobbs vetoed SB 1027, sponsored by Senator Anthony Kern, which would have established “knowingly manufacturing carfentanil, fentanyl or fentanyl memetic substances under any circumstance that causes physical injury to a minor who is under 15 years of age as a class 2 felony offense punishable as a dangerous crime against children and makes changes to existing sentencing provisions for certain narcotic drug offenses.”
Hobbs didn’t elaborate much in her veto letter to the Arizona Legislature, writing, “Last week I signed a bill continuing Arizona’s ‘Good Samaritan Law.’ I fear that this bill, particularly Section 2, would undermine the purpose of that law. I encourage the legislature to send me a narrower bill that focuses on the manufacture of fentanyl.”
Senator Kern, the bill sponsor, issued a press release following the governor’s action on his legislation, “expressing concern and dismay,” stating: “We have been fighting the opioid epidemic not just in Arizona, but nationwide for decades. The least we can do is try to protect our children and future generations from exposure to a deadly drug often laced into opioids. This bill had the support of many Democrats, yet Governor Hobbs continues to show her priorities are out of line.”
Kern then addressed Hobbs’ reference to the ‘Good Samaritan Law,’ saying, “In her veto letter, she claims she didn’t sign the bill out of fear it would undermine the Good Samaritan Law which protects individuals who intervene to save someone experiencing an opioid overdose. Not only is it a misleading stretch to reach this conclusion, Hobbs is more concerned with protecting fentanyl manufacturers and providers than implementing real measures that protect our children and communities from these dangerous drugs. We as legislators have done our job. We created a bill with bipartisan support to tackle a very real and serious issue. Why is Hobbs not doing hers, and instead continuing to play political games?”
In January, the bill passed through Kern’s Senate Judiciary Committee, garnering six votes against one in opposition; Democrat Senators Marsh and Epstein voted with four Republicans on the committee. The full Senate then approved of the measure, 21-8 – with one member not voting. The bill was transmitted to the Arizona House and assigned to the Judiciary Committee, where it passed along party lines, 5-3. The full House then cleared the bill by a bipartisan vote of 35-24 (with one member not voting).
Democrat Representative Analise Ortiz, who voted against the bill in the House Judiciary Committee and on the floor, cheered on the governor’s veto, tweeting, “Thank you, Gov. Hobbs for vetoing SB 1027, a bill that would’ve caused far more harm than good. The evidence shows us that broad criminalization of addiction is not effective. We must get serious about addressing the fentanyl crisis by investing in drug treatment and prevention.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
