HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — According to a 2022 DEA lab study, 6 out of 10 fake pills seized by the DEA contained a potentially deadly dose of fentanyl.
This was one of the facts highlighted today by several statewide organizations announcing the campaign's launch.
'Odds Are' is a year-long campaign to bring awareness to Alabamians on the dangers and prevalence of illicit fentanyl.
At today's launch of the campaign, some stats were shared about the current death rate of Alabamians when it comes to opioid overdoses: "Rarely does a day go by that we don't see at least one or more fentanyl overdoses. And unfortunately, we see several deaths per week from overdose," said Dr. Bobby Lewis, with the Alabama Chapter of the College of Emergency Physicians.
Those trends are consistent with what's taking place here in North Alabama as well: "Last week we had four, at least four overdose deaths in Madison County last week. So we're back to on average between 72, every 72 and 96 hours. That's kind of where we're averaging. So we're back to where we were last year about this time as well," said Executive Director with Partnership for a Drug-Free Community, Wendy Reeves.
With overdose deaths back on the rise here in Northern Alabama. It's important to keep this message at the front and center of our minds.
"One of our primary messages is that if you don't get a medication from a legitimate health care provider or pharmacy, the odds are it could well be laced with fentanyl and perhaps even a lethal dose," said President of Alabama Hospital Association, Dr. Don Williamson.
"We think it's always the drug addicts that are doing this and dying. And that's the case in many situations because the drug addicts take a bunch of this and they overdose. But unfortunately, someone who is naive to taking these and they get a little sample of this or a pill from one of their friends can end up dying just with one single dose of this," said Lewis.
That's exactly what happened to Lauren Littlefield's 18-year-old brother, Chase Ray Littlefield.
Just being a curious college student, he took something given to him by a coworker, by the time help had shown up, the damage of the overdose was already done.
"My family was then left with impossible decisions to make in the hospital and are forever scarred and empty without Chase. All it took was... all it took to change our lives forever, was one pill, one time. I really appreciate the work everyone up here is doing. It's so important to not stop talking about how dangerous and prevalent fentanyl is and to hopefully stop this from happening to other families," said Littlefield.
"This is a strategy that we use all the time, and we feel like it's important for people who might be struggling with substance use to know that hope is on the other side and the only way to do that is to share those stories from people who've worked similar paths," said Reeves.
The Partnership For A Drug-Free Community will also be holding a local informational panel on April 11, 2023, with a focus on educating North Alabama's youth also on the dangers and prevalence of illicit fentanyl.
Reeves says the panel will be held at the Madison County Board of Education at 211 Celtic Dr, Madison, AL 35758 from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.
The panel will consist of medical and law enforcement experts that will share with parents firsthand stories of the impacts of opioids.
From paramedics to E.R. physicians, the Partnership aims to make this a short panel, lasting about an hour with time for questions left at the end.