SPOKANE — Federal and state officials have warned residents in Eastern Washington about the dangers of illicit synthetic opioids after multiple teenagers died in recent weeks.
U.S. Attorney William Hyslop said the community is facing a “growing and increasing influx of deadly fentanyl into Eastern Washington,” The Spokesman-Review reported Wednesday.
Data from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency shows that seizures of fentanyl, which is 50 to 100 times more powerful than morphine, have increased by about 200 percent compared to last year.
DEA special agent Keith Weis said the drug is often smuggled over the border from Mexico, where it is produced at a much cheaper cost than heroin and cut into a pill form without dosage regulations. The drug then reaches distribution networks including in the Tri-Cities.
Fentanyl is a potent drug that can be fatal with as little as 2 milligrams. Anyone who is exposed to the drug could experience breathing effects, including shortness of breath or not breathing, at a much lower dosage than a usual medical dose.
Hyslop announced Wednesday that the U.S. attorney’s office, the drug enforcement agency, local law enforcement and school districts have collaborated to create a public campaign warning families of the danger posed by fentanyl and other opioids.
“Here in Spokane, we’re seeing a lot of these fentanyl pills being stamped as OxyContin pills,” Spokane Police Chief Craig Meidl said. “Now, we’re seeing these pills being stamped into the shape of baby aspirin as well.”
Fentanyl falls under the same criminal category as methamphetamine, cocaine and OxyContin under federal drug laws, Hyslop said, adding that police do not believe they can “arrest our way out of this.”
“This is greater. This is a community issue,” he said. “This requires everybody to be involved.”
