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Photo Courtesy: Drug Enforcement Agency

Fatal Fentanyl Opioid Overdoses In California Hit All-Time High In 2017

Fentanyl, a deadly opioid that is 50 times stronger than heroin, is a growing threat across California, including in Santa Clarita, where a string of fatal overdoses linked to the drug were reported in 2017.


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The California Department of Health released a report in April saying 746 people died from Fentanyl overdoses last year — more than three times the 237 people who died from overdoses in 2016.

“This stuff is everywhere now,” said Bob Sharits, program director of The Wayout Recovery SCV, a local rehab center. “The opioid users in Santa Clarita say almost every batch of heroin has Fentanyl.”

Fentanyl is up to 50 times more powerful than heroin and can be 100 times more potent than morphine, according to the Department of Health. It is often added to other street drugs, and can overwhelm and kill someone who has no tolerance.

This is not a new issue, Sharits said. The “super strong” synthetic opioid has been seen in the Santa Clarita Valley for over a year.

The outbreak hit epidemic proportions in May 2017, when 10 people overdosed on Fentanyl in Santa Clarita, with one person dying as a result of the drug,

“The people who manufacture the substance don’t care about quality,” said Sharits. “There is a wide variety of strength with street level heroin.”

The substance abuse expert spoke about “hotspots” – doses of street-quality opioids with more Fentanyl – that can be created accidentally when manufacturing large quantities of drugs.

Los Angeles County officials are monitoring this upward trend, and warned residents that Fentanyl comes in a wide range of forms, from pills to powder.

“We have seen an increase of Fentanyl seizures in the county by law enforcement,” said Dr. Gary Tsai, medical director and science officer for the L.A. County Department of Public Health. “This is in line with the trend we have seen across the nation.”

In response to the uptick of Fentanyl confiscations, the Department of Public Health started to collect data on overdoses in the county.

“We cannot say if there is a definite rise in the county until we collect more data,” Tsai said. “But there has been a rise in the state.”

Public Health started a coalition to fight back against opioid abuse, called “Safe Med L.A.” The program is a multi-pronged approach to comprehensively address the prescription drug abuse epidemic, Tsai said.

“We have talked with community partners,” Tsai said. “This is not something we can tackle on our own.”

The countywide coalition focuses on education and treatment as well as safe drug disposal and enforcement of drug laws.

The City of Santa Clarita also started a program, called “Heroin Kills,” in 2011, designed to raise awareness about the problem and to help stop heroin from destroying local families.

The goal of the program is to warn at-risk youth and to educate parents about the heroin problem, said Yolanda Calderon, the school program supervisor for the city.

“We wanted to collaborate with the community,” Calderon said. “These programs include both the parents and children.”

City officials also created a program called Drug Free Youth in the Santa Clarita Valley, or DFYinSCV, to eradicate the issue of drug abuse in the valley.

“Education is key,” Calderon said. “The only way to combat the issue of drug use is knowledge.”

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Fatal Fentanyl Opioid Overdoses In California Hit All-Time High In 2017

3 comments

  1. Death penalty for the seller. The seller is murdering people. Let’s do something about this. I would be happy to volunteer to execute these killers. Why worry about outside killers coming to this county, we have homegrown killers; killing this state’s population and getting away with murder.

    • Did you see the news recently where $20,000,000 worth of Fentanyl was siezed in Nebraska. Highway Patrol stopped a truck and found it hidden. The truck driver and passenger was arrested. This stuff is coming in from Asia and Mexico.

  2. In the past, California hasn’t suffered as much as other parts of the U.S., but that changed in 2017. Fentanyl is widely responsible for the increase in overdose deaths. This synthetic opioid is 30-50 times stronger than heroin alone. It’s much easier for drug traffickers to smuggle fentanyl across the borders and it’s more cost effective. In particular, Southern California’s close proximity to Mexico makes it a target for drug cartels. Many users don’t even know they are taking such a potent opioid. A person who injects heroin is essentially gambling with their life. Either way, this dangerous drug has led to an astronomical increase in overdose deaths nationwide.

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About Devon Miller

Devon Miller was born and raised in Santa Clarita. He joined KHTS Radio as a digital marketing intern in September of 2017, and later moved to news as a staff writer in December. Miller attended College of the Canyons and served as the Associated Student Government President. Miller is now News Director for KHTS, covering breaking news and politics across the Santa Clarita Valley.