According to a 2022 United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) laboratory study, six out of 10 fake pills seized by the DEA contained a potentially deadly dose of Fentanyl. These were some of the facts highlighted today by several statewide organizations announcing the launch of \u201cOdds Are Alabama,\u201d a year-long campaign to bring awareness to Alabamians on the dangers and prevalence of illicit Fentanyl.<\/p>\n
Odds Are Alabama will not only heighten awareness of the dangers, but it will also provide critical information regarding help for those with substance use disorders, along with information about medication that can reverse an overdose and strips to test drugs for Fentanyl.<\/p>\n
Dr. Scott Harris, State Public Health Officer, said \u201cAlabama has seen a tremendous increase in opioid overdoses over the last several years.\u00a0 With about two-thirds of all overdoses nationwide attributed to synthetic drugs like Fentanyl, it\u2019s obvious why the need for this campaign is so great.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to the DEA, Illicit drug manufacturers and dealers are lacing other drugs like cocaine and marijuana with Fentanyl and manufacturing fake pills that include the drug to ensure that users are hooked on the first try. Because a lethal dose of Fentanyl is only about two milligrams, equivalent to a few grains of salt, it\u2019s becoming increasingly common for users to overdose on Fentanyl-laced products. In Alabama, the number of people who died from Fentanyl poisoning more than doubled from 2019 to 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
\nCloser to home, Lauren Littlefield of Montgomery shared her family\u2019s tragic story of losing her brother due to a Fentanyl overdose.\u00a0 \u201cLast April, my brother being a curious 18-year-old took something given to him by a co-worker.\u00a0 He had no idea that what he was taking was laced with fentanyl, and by the time the ambulance had gotten to him, the damage was done.\u00a0 All it took to change our family\u2019s lives forever was one pill, one time.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe hear from hospitals all across the state of the alarming increase in patients coming to emergency departments with a Fentanyl overdose,\u201d said Joseph Marchant, CEO of Bibb Medical Center and chairman of the Alabama Hospital Association.\u00a0 \u201cUnfortunately, many of these individuals don\u2019t make it, and those who do survive are often left with injuries that can last a lifetime.\u00a0 We have to find a way to let people know that if they don\u2019t get a pill from their healthcare provider or pharmacy, the chances are very high that they are making a deadly decision.\u201d<\/p>\n
Echoing these sentiments, Dr. Julia Boothe, president of the Medical Association of the State of Alabama, urged young people and their parents and grandparents to heed the warnings and to understand the dangers are real.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOpioid prescriptions in Alabama have fallen for eight consecutive years, but a surge of illicit Fentanyl is driving overdose deaths to their highest level ever,\u201d said Dr. Boothe. \u201cOur message to every Alabamian is this: Never take any drug except those prescribed by your physician and filled by a pharmacist. Fake pills containing Fentanyl are everywhere in Alabama. They look identical to real medicine, but you won\u2019t know until it\u2019s too late. Don\u2019t take the chance because one fake pill can kill.\u201d<\/p>\n
For more information on the dangers of Fentanyl and the resources available, visit OddsAreAlabama.org.\u00a0
\n\u2022 HB208 was signed into law in 2015 and provided immunity for prescribing and administering an opioid antagonist, such as naloxone. This is commonly known as a \u201cGood Samaritan Law\u201d. In 2016, HB379 was signed into law, providing the State Health Officer or a county health officer the authority to write a standing order for dispensing naloxone.
\n\u2022 Individual\/family\/friend request for free Naloxone (Narcan) Nasal Spray<\/p>\n
To receive your free Narcan kit, you will need to complete an online training Naloxone Training. After completing the training your kit will be mailed to you at the address you provide.<\/p>\n
To access the training:\u00a0\u00a0https:\/\/www.jcdh.org\/SitePages\/Programs-Services\/CommunityHealth\/SubstanceUseandAddiction\/NaloxoneTrainingReg.aspx
\n\u2022 First Responders (Law enforcement, Fire Departments, Volunteer Fire Departments, etc.) request for Naloxone (Narcan) Nasal Spray<\/p>\n
If you are an agency that responds to emergencies involving individuals who may be at risk of experiencing an opioid-related overdose Email\u00a0narcanadmh@mh.alabama.gov
\n\u2022 Before receiving Narcan,\u00a0you will need to complete the\u00a0Narcan Law Enforcement Roll Call\u00a0video training module. In this training module, you will learn:
\n\u2022 How to identify an opioid overdose and check for a response.
\n\u2022 Proper administration of Narcan Nasal Spray.
\n\u2022 How to place a patient in the recovery position until emergency medical assistance arrives.<\/p>\n
To access the training module:\u00a0https:\/\/www.narcan.com\/first-responders\/law-enforcement-roll-call-video
\n\u2022 Review and print the\u00a0Standing Order of the State Health Officer Naloxone Distribution for Overdose Prevention
\n\u2022 Please download the\u00a0Naloxone Agency Form, then open it in\u00a0Adobe Reader\u00a0to complete and submit. (Submit may not work in a browser window depending on your settings.)
\n\u2022 For replacement kits, you will need to submit the following information to\u00a0opioidcrisis@adph.state.al.us
\n\u2022 Date\/Time used
\n\u2022 Age\/Race of recipient
\n\u2022 Nonfatal or fatal results
\n\u2022 Name and phone number of the person requesting the replacement<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
According to a 2022 United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) laboratory study, six out of 10 fake pills seized by the DEA contained a potentially deadly dose of Fentanyl.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10552","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.theclarion.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10552","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.theclarion.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.theclarion.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.theclarion.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.theclarion.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10552"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/test.theclarion.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10552\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10553,"href":"https:\/\/test.theclarion.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10552\/revisions\/10553"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.theclarion.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10552"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.theclarion.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10552"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.theclarion.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10552"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}