UNT police, Denton police and DEA discuss fentanyl awareness

It takes only 2 milligrams of fentanyl to be deadly.

Attendees watched “The Fentanyl Factor,” a short documentary about the drug’s effects in a New Jersey community. The film includes interviews with residents and law enforcement affected by the opioid epidemic.

Kevin Crawford, a lieutenant with the University of North Texas Police Department, said that one thing that scares him is students and the community getting hold of prescription pills, such as Xanax, but are instead consuming fentanyl without even knowing.

“Even though you may think that you’re getting one of those high-prescription pills from a friend or at a party or whatever it may be, you really just don’t know where it’s coming from,” Crawford said. “It’s just not worth the risk.”

According to the CDC, recognizing the signs of an overdose of fentanyl can save a life. Here are some things to look for:

• Small, constricted “pinpoint pupils”
• Falling asleep or losing consciousness
• Slow, weak or no breathing
• Choking or gurgling sounds
• Limp body
• Cold or clammy skin
• Discolored skin (especially on lips and nails)

Eduardo A. Chávez leads the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Dallas Field Division. Chavez oversees daily operations in the North Texas region, which includes Denton, as well as Dallas, Fort Worth, Lubbock, Amarillo and Tyler and operates in Oklahoma.

Chavez said he has seen fentanyl mixed inside marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine and prescription pills. Chavez noted that drug traffickers are doing this because they know the highly addictive nature of fentanyl will make consumers want more.

“I’ve been doing this for over 23 years, and it’s probably the most deadly drug I have seen come across my experience,” Chavez said.

He said that last year, the agency seized more than 1 million pills containing fentanyl.

“It is everywhere, unfortunately,” Chavez said.

Sonia Redwine, director of the Recovery and Intervention Support and Education Center at UNT, urged those attending to take the information they learned from the film and the panelists and share it with friends, family and the community.

What to do if you think someone is overdosing:

• Call 911 immediately.
• Administer naloxone, if available.
• Try to keep the person awake and breathing.
• Lay the person on their side to prevent choking.
• Stay with the person until emergency assistance arrives.

How naloxone can save a life

According to the CDC, naloxone, also referred to by the brand name Narcan, is a life-saving medication that can reverse an overdose of opioids — including heroin, fentanyl and prescription opioid medications.

• Naloxone is easy to use and small to carry — anyone can use it without medical training or authorization.
• Naloxone quickly reverses an overdose by blocking the effects of opioids. It can restore normal breathing within 2 to 3 minutes in a person whose breathing has slowed or even stopped due to opioid overdose.
• After administering naloxone, stay with the person until emergency help arrives or for at least four hours to ensure their breathing returns to normal.

Redwine said at least two doses of naloxone are available at UNT residential houses.

Redwine told the crowd that those who administer Narcan are covered by the Good Samaritan law, which protects individuals from an arrest or charges after assisting those who are overdosing.

Keith Brown, a deputy director at Texoma High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, said it’s up to law enforcement, lawmakers and counselors to help resolve the problem.

“The solution is everything — the solution is law enforcement, the solution is treatment, the solution is prevention,” Brown said.