Local law enforcement training in the fight against Fentanyl

Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office confirms six out of nine recent overdose deaths were caused by Fentanyl; three are still pending.

In response to a mass Fentanyl poisoning that occurred in early July, local law enforcement agencies are receiving training on the use of Narcan and preparing themselves for the future fight against the illegal drug.

On Tuesday, Lieutenant Anglie Holmes with the Gadsden County Sheriff’s office said it has been confirmed that six out of nine of the overdose deaths were caused by Fentanyl.

She said the results of the other three are still pending.

The United States Drug Enforcement Agency classifies three or more overdoses occurring close in time and at the same location as Fentanyl-related mass-overdose events.

On Wednesday, July 6, the Quincy Police Department’s Assistant Chief Leroy Smith announced that his department had received 48 boxes of Narcan from Disc Village.

Narcan is a prescription medicine used for the treatment of “a known or suspected opioid overdose emergency,” according to its website.

Generically known as naloxone, it rapidly reverses an opioid overdose by blocking receptors in the brain.

First Lady Casey DeSantis met with Gadsden County Sheriff Morris Young and other members of state health, law enforcement, and family agencies to discuss the Fentanyl crisis in Gadsden County.

“Fentanyl can be 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, just a small dose is deadly,” said Smith. “Someone who has had the training for Narcan, or is in possession of Narcan, can not only save the victim’s life, but an officer or a K9 dog.”

During that press conference, Mayor Keith Dowdell shared that one of his close friends was in the hospital fighting for his life after overdosing the day before.

Dowdell said when he received the call about his friend, he thought it was a joke.

“That was my classmate, my friend, as some would say, my road dog,” Mayor Keith Dowdell said during the press conference.

“The contents of this small little box here could save a life,” said Assistant Chief Leroy Smith as he held up a box of Narcan nasal spray at a Wednesday press conference.

The Fentanyl crisis in Gadsden County has drawn statewide and nationwide attention.

On Thursday, July 7, Florida’s first lady Casey DeSantis visited Gadsden County for a roundtable discussion with Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo, Department of Children and Families Secretary Shevaun Harris, Florida Department of Law Enforcement Acting Commissioner Mark Glass, and Gadsden County Sheriff Morris Young to discuss the recent increase in overdoses associated with Fentanyl.

During the meeting, First Lady DeSantis announced plans to launch a statewide public messaging advisory, through the Department of Health in coordination with other state agencies, to inform the public of the dangers of Fentanyl, now the leading cause of death in the United States for individuals 18 to 45.

Following the roundtable discussion, Gadsden County Board of County Commission Public Information Officer Leslie Steele said while statistics show that nationwide Fentanyl overdoses are more common among young adults, locally most of the cases have been older adults.

Steele said of those who died, the youngest was 34 and the oldest was in their 60s.

Sheriff Morris Young said the county had about 20 sporadic overdoses in 2021.

In just one week, the county has surpassed that number for 2022.

Young said when he left his office at 5 p.m. on Friday, July 1, Fentanyl wasn’t even in his vocabulary.

Just after 9 p.m. that night, Emergency Medical Services received their first call for what now appears to be a Fentanyl overdose, Young said.

Within one week, at least nine people died from suspected overdoses and at least another 10 had been hospitalized.

“Gadsden County was not prepared for this,” Young said.

The sheriff said he does not know what kind of drugs were found at the scenes of the overdoses.

The illegal version of Fentanyl can be used to lace other drugs like marijuana or cocaine unbeknownst to those who purchase it.

Pills designed to appear nearly identical to legitimate prescriptions like Xanax and Percocet, but are actually fake prescription pills containing Fentanyl, are also sold on the street.

“We know a lot of the players responsible for spreading this poison, and we’re going after them,” the sheriff said.

County Administrator Ed Dixon, who previously worked at the Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office, said two years ago he applied for a grant from the state to help prepare officers to treat Fentanyl overdoses.

However, the application was denied because at that time the county couldn’t identify any cases involving the deadly synthetic opioid.

Dixon said Gadsden’s Emergency Medical Technicians were already trained to handle opioid overdoses, but law enforcement was not.

Oftentimes, law enforcement officers and firefighters are first on the scene during a medical emergency.

Gadsden Emergency Services Director Kris Hood said the spike in overdoses has caused his first responders in his already understaffed department to work double and triple time.

Hood said between July 1 and July 8, Emergency Medical Services received at least 25 calls regarding drug overdoses.

Hood said preparing law enforcement officers to treat opioid overdoses could save lives and take some of the strain off Emergency Medical Services, where technicians and paramedics are already experiencing employee burnout.

Erin Hill - erin@gadsdencountytimes.com

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Local law enforcement training in the fight against Fentanyl

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Mystery of the moving grave markers – Historic cemetery in Quincy experiences unusual tombstone activity, causing concern for loved ones of the deceased

Free Narcan distribution to take place this Sunday in the fight against Fentanyl overdoses

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