Fentanyl Overdoses and Deaths

Fentanyl is a danger in society that is reaching into jails with alarming consistency across the U.S. Fentanyl is a highly potent synthetic opioid drug that the Food and Drug Administration has approved as a pain reliever and anesthetic. It is 100 times stronger than morphine and 50 times stronger than heroin. An amount equivalent to a few grains of salt is enough to kill a human being.

The trafficking of illicit fentanyl is now a huge business. The unknown quantity is that there is no careful measure of fentanyl. People frequently react to the drug violently and immediately. Police officers, for instance, who unknowingly came into contact with fentanyl have suffered immediate effects of overdose. This would be deadly except for Narcan. 

It is terrifying when you know the facts about fentanyl and its potential to kill, but Narcan is a product easily administered that can save a person from an opioid overdose. Police stations everywhere are arming their officers with Narcan. Lives are saved every day, including in jails.

A March 2023 headline saying that 13 inmates overdosed on fentanyl in one week is not conveying a unique event. Neither is the further detail that deputies and nurses also suffered the effects of fentanyl through close contact. In the particular story alluded to, all but one person survived because Narcan was administered, sometimes repeatedly to one victim of a fentanyl overdose.

See Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5 of this continuing series to learn more.

Helping Texas jail detainees and their families with resources is one of the purposes of this website. There is no intention of suggesting that people or organizations have been involved in misdeeds.

–Guest Contributor