A talk on “The Rise of Fentanyl in Arizona” was presented June 17 in the Fountain Hills Community Center. Council member and Fountain Hills Youth Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition board member Mike Scharnow discussed everything from what fentanyl is, to its dangers and ways to prevent its abuse. This presentation was part of an effort by the Substance Abuse Coalition Leaders of Arizona.

Scharnow began his presentation with a statistic: There were more than 2,000 overdoses attributed to fentanyl in Arizona last year.

“We’re here to try to prevent this kind of thing from happening,” Scharnow explained.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid, 50 times more powerful than heroine and 100 times more powerful than morphine. While versions of fentanyl are available in prescription medications, most overdoses involve illegal fentanyl. Scharnow explained this is primarily due to a couple of factors. First, only a small amount of fentanyl can lead to an overdose. Secondly, when illicit drugs are laced with fentanyl, there’s no way for the person manufacturing the drug to accurately measure dosage.

“It’s like making chocolate chip cookies,” Scharnow explained. He explained that, when making cookies, you simply throw the chocolate chips into the batter. The result, however, is that you may get some cookies with a lot of chips and others with practically any.

“Even the people who make the pills laced with fentanyl don’t know how much is in them,” Scharnow added.

This latest push to heighten fentanyl awareness in Arizona was kicked off by the opioid emergency declared in 2017. Despite that fact, overdoses have doubled since 2018. Pill seizures in Arizona were 297,000 in 2018 and 1.4 million in 2019. In 2020, that number jumped to 5 million, or an increase of 1,610 percent in two years.

“One of the major issues with these illegal drugs is that they look legitimate, just like a prescription pill,” Scharnow said. “The message needs to be don’t take pills that weren’t prescribed to you, period.”

Another major issue is that, through the rise of social media and various forms of instant messaging, it’s become easier than ever for drugs to be sold and shared.

Prevention

So, why are people – especially youths – so keen to try these drugs? According to the presentation, everything from generic curiosity to stress relief and dependency are driving substance abuse. As Scharnow noted, the pandemic has only heightened these issues, as today’s youngsters are feeling more stress and uncertainty than ever before.

For parents, Scharnow said there is a heightened risk of drug abuse in kids if there is a family history of substance abuse, if the child has a diagnosed or undiagnosed health issue like depression, anxiety or ADHD, if they have experience traumatic events or have impulse control difficulties.

He said one of the best lines of defense is for parents to talk to their kids about the dangers of drug abuse early and often.

“Communication is a big thing, but it can also be the most difficult,” he continued.

Some examples of ways to address these issues with kids/teens is to offer advice and guidance, set limits both parties can live with, show concern rather than anger, ask open-ended questions rather than yes/no, work to first understand the child’s perspective and, perhaps most importantly, establish a rescue plan for when risky situations pop up.

An example Scharnow offered is that, if a teen is at a party and drugs start making the rounds, the teen can text or call the parent with a predetermined code to enact the rescue plan.

For example, the teen can call the parent and say, “No, you’re right, I forgot to walk the dog.”

The parent can then feign disappointment about how walking the dog is the teen’s responsibility and they are coming to get them, right now, for failing to do the chore. The teen now has a way out of the risky situation while avoiding potential social backlash.

Good Samaritan

Scharnow said it is also important to educate parents and teens about Arizona’s Good Samaritan Law.

In the event of an overdose, inaction is frequently the result of individuals fearing they themselves, or the person experiencing an overdose, will find themselves in legal trouble.

In brief, the Good Samaritan Law allows Arizonans to call 911 in the event of an overdose without fear of arrest.

Narcan

Another tool in the fight against opioid overdoses is naloxone, which can be administered to save a life. Locally, Scharnow has secured a number of doses of Narcan, a brand of naloxone, that are available free of charge.

Narcan nasal spray is the first nasal formulation of Naloxone, an FDA-approved product for the treatment of known or suspected opioid overdose, according to Narcan.com.

“Designed for use in the community, Narcan nasal spray is needle-free and ready to use,” reads a breakdown of the product. It is also noted that the nasal spray required no specialized training and inhalation is not required for it to be effective.

These doses of Narcan are recommended for households who may have a substance abuse disorder person living with them who is prone to opioid use, or for someone who associates with such an individual.

The boxes that are being made available to the public contain two doses of Narcan to be administered if someone is experiencing an opioid overdose.

Those who wish to have Narcan handy my pick up the nasal spray from either of the local fire stations. Fire Station 822 is located at 16426 E. Palisades Blvd. and Fire Station 823 is located at 10650 N. Fountain Hills Blvd.

Drop Box

Finally, there’s the permanent prescription drug drop box.

Those wishing to use the drop box can visit Town Hall during regular business hours, located at 16705 E. Avenue of the Fountains. The drop box is located in the lobby, next to the MCSO office on the right. Pills should be poured into a sealable bag. No liquids, creams or needles should be included. Simply drop the bag into the drop box and you’re done.

The purpose of the drop box is to address a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse and abuse.

For those who wish to clean out the home of expired, unneeded or unwanted prescription pills, the drop box is the way to go.