Kansas' fentanyl crisis is an “extremely dangerous situation,” law enforcement officials say, with the synthetic opioid causing roughly 80 percent of drug overdose deaths in one of the state's most populous regions.
Sedgwick County officials Have One population More than 520,000 people Revealed Police have seized as many as 750,000 fentanyl pills so far in 2024, KWCH 12 reported Thursday.
Despite major police efforts to crack down on drug trafficking, the problem is far from being solved.
“This drug is very powerful. You don't just give someone one dose of Narcan and it brings them back. You have to give multiple doses, the most we've ever given is five,” Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeff Easter told local media.
“It's very dangerous. If it wasn't cut with something before it got here, if it's pure fentanyl powder, that kind of powder is[d]”It penetrates the body and you can breathe it,” he explained.
Easter hopes the increased police presence and opioid settlement money will bring about big changes in the area.
“We're hopeful that in the future we'll be at the forefront, which will mean even stronger prevention, education, treatment and recovery services than we have today,” he said.
The Douglas County Citizens Commission on Alcoholism (DCCCA) says there needs to be more training on how to administer naloxone, commonly known as Narcan, a drug that reverses opioid overdoses.
“We're seeing fentanyl being used alongside cocaine and methamphetamine and there's a lot of education being done about that as well because we know naloxone only works on opioids, so when you ingest another substance it creates a whole other safety situation,” DCCCA Community Support Specialist Stacey Haynes told KWCH.
Since the release of naloxone Vending Machine A bail bonds company in downtown Wichita has distributed more than 2,800 kits to people in need.
“It's great to have 24/7 access at 705 N. Broadway,” Haynes said, “so we're happy to be able to offer that.”
Seven times The New York Times “Our nation is at war with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Chinese criminal organizations that are smuggling fentanyl across our southern border and poisoning Americans,” said best-selling author Peter Schweitzer.
“We need to wake up to the fact that our country is at war, that we are at war, that war is being waged against us,” Schweitzer warned in a February speech. Discussion With radio host Mark Levin.
“This is one part of what China is doing to us. The other part is why our leaders allow it and don't even condemn it. Gavin Newsom is a prime example,” he continues, detailing in his latest book why America's leading figures turn a blind eye while China kills Americans. Blood Money.
“Meanwhile, fentanyl deaths in California have increased more than 1,200 percent since 2016,” the authors said, criticizing California Governor Gavin Newsom (Democrat) for refusing to hold the Chinese Communist Party responsible.
According to Levin, Blood Money: Why the Powers That Be Turn a Blind Eye When China Kills Americans “An absolutely essential book.”
