SRO Corner - Officer James Wolfer, Sherwood Police Department
Let’s talk about fentanyl. In a post last March on the Sherwood Police Department Facebook page, we talked about how fentanyl related deaths continue to surge across the country. The US experiences around 100,000 overdose deaths a year, with the majority of those being opioid related. In 2021, Oregon saw roughly 745 opioid-related deaths, a 57% increase from 2020 (472 deaths) and a staggering 166% increase from 2019 (280 deaths). 90% of overdose deaths are from fentanyl.
Earlier this year, two High School juveniles in Portland died from fentanyl, likely from pills made to look like relatively safe pharmaceuticals such as OxyContin, Percocet, or Xanax but are actually counterfeit pills containing fentanyl, since it is cheaper and stronger than pharmaceutical grade drugs. These pills look identical in color, shape, and labeling to those produced by labs. Teens never know what they’re getting, and just one fake pill can kill them. Usually, we see these as blue “M30” pills.
You may be thinking to yourself, “my child isn’t caught up in the drug culture” or “my child wouldn’t even know where to get something like that.” Does your child have a cell phone? Is your child on social media platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, or Instagram? If the answer is “yes,” they likely do know about teen drug culture and may have access. Teens who are not addicts and who are not involved in the drug culture may still purchase pills -- often to deal with mental health issues, pain from an injury, or maybe just seeking a high for the first time. Much like the vaping epidemic that we have been experiencing since 2018, parents are often the last to know. Please see my previous posts on the SPD Facebook page about Snapchat, smart phones and drugs for some of the ways we’re seeing teens utilize social media to hide things from their parents.
As an aside, we are starting to see “Rainbow Fentanyl,” which are counterfeit pills dyed in multicolor. I’ve gotten a few inquiries about this, as recently a few news articles erroneously attributed these pills as being specifically targeted to young kids and adults as a marketing ploy. I want to reassure parents that this is not the case -- opioids are expensive, so dealers are not looking to “waste” them by giving them out to kids. Additionally, research has shown that dealers aren’t making them “rainbow” colored to attract children, but as a way to “mark” them as containing fentanyl and being of “high quality” for their customers, as well as an attempt to disguise the drugs from law enforcement.
I’ve attached pictures of common fentanyl pills. If you see these in your child’s room or possession, please call 911 immediately.
As always, partners in parenting,
SRO Wolfer
