Football has come under scrutiny over the past few years by a few well-intentioned people who are concerned about the potential risk to life and limb over this contact sport. Most of it seems to focus on the high school level, and while high school football seems to be assured of its future, the concern percolates under the surface. The question remains: Is a game worth a traumatic brain injury or a severe shock to a young person’s spinal cord? Fortunately, the odds are overwhelmingly with the players that this won’t happen, though it could. To these concerned parents and community members, football is a potentially deadly game.
A more deadly game however, is the roll of the dice when people play with their own lives or the lives of other and where the odds of serious injury or death are much greater. I’m referring to Fentanyl use and the trend of many people to take it “come what may.”
How to comprehend a staggering number?
I read an article yesterday in the NY Times that noted there were 109,680 deaths last year in the U.S attributable to Fentanyl. As I considered this, I thought a blog post might be appropriate, but then, how could I illustrate 110,000 people in a visual point of reference? A rocky Antarctic coast with 109,680 penguins on the shore? Probably not. A “selfie” with 109,679 people photo-bombing the shot in the background? Not! Maybe, a pile with 109,680 poker chips? Nope. How about a football stadium that seats 109,680 fans? Hmmm.
So, I found a photo of the football stadium at Ohio State University which seats 102,780 and I assume that every game at that school is a sellout. Plus, don’t forget the 7,000 people in the parking lot who showed up at the last minute and couldn’t get tickets. It’s another game for most. No one expecting to come to harm.
Who does Fentanyl kill?
ALPHARETTA GA – JULY 9: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers perform at the Verizon Ampitheatre at Encore Park in Alpharetta, Georgia. Photo credit: Steve White Photos (Shuterstock.)
But then many of the victims of Fentanyl overdose did not expect to come to harm, either. An example might be the one year old boy who died from Fentanyl ingested or absorbed at a day care center. Other children come in contact with Fentanyl from lollipops and lozenges[1]. Still other children have died from chewing on Fentanyl patches prescribed for adults in the household. A number of famous people have died with Fentanyl in their systems. For example, musicians such as Prince, Bobby Brown Jr. and Tom Petty. Did they want to die?
Dana Petty, widow of Tom Petty joined family members who reflected on Petty’s emphysema, bad knees and a fractured hip and the pain he suffered weeks and months before his death. In a final eulogy to him they wrote:
“As a family we recognize this report may spark a further discussion on the opioid crisis and we feel that it is a healthy and necessary discussion and we hope in some way this report can savelives. Many people who overdose begin with a legitimate injury or simply do not understand the potency and deadly nature of these medications.”
What is Fentanyl?
According to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), “Fentanyl is a potent synthetic opioid drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use as an analgesic (pain relief) and anesthetic.” It is used by surgeons to manage post op pain, for cancer or particularly when patients are not getting relief from other analgesics or if they cannot tolerate other pain relievers.
Fentanyl was first introduced in 1959, but it has only become the serious problem that it is during the past fifteen years.
What are the effects of Fentanyl
According to the DEA:
“Fentanyl, similar to other commonly used opioid analgesics (e.g., morphine), produces effects such as relaxation, euphoria, pain relief, sedation, confusion, drowsiness, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, urinary retention, pupillary constriction, and respiratory depression.”
Like any opiates, Fentanyl is extremely addictive. Patients have been known to become addicted to the drug even when scrupulously following their doctor’s orders.
Signs and symptoms of Fentanyl overdose (courtesy of the CDC):
Small, constricted “pinpoint pupils”
Falling asleep or losing consciousness
Slow, weak, or no breathing
Choking or gurgling sounds
Limp body
Cold and/or clammy skin
Discolored skin (especially in lips and nails)
By and large then, most individuals who die from Fentanyl are either people using recreational drugs or those people in chronic pain who somehow get illicit drugs for the purpose of self-medicating themselves in the hope of controlling their pain. But they overlook the fact that Fentanyl is“100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin as an analgesic.” Plus, they can’t know exactly how much Fentanyl they are getting in a dose and how it interacts with everything else in their system.
According to the Sheriff’s Department of Multnomah County, Oregon: “just two milligrams of Fentanyl — about the weight of a mosquito — is a fatal dose.”
What are your chances of dying from Fentanyl?
I could not locate much information on the hazards of Fentanyl poisoning to the general public. In other words, the drug does not seem to be showing up in supermarkets, restaurants and so on. Here are the more common scenarios for Fentanyl exposure as far as ordinary people are concerned:
If a consumer purchases drugs from other than legitimate pharmacies, there is a risk that they are not receiving the pure, unadulterated medication that they think they are getting, so these people are at risk. Also, bootlegged prescription drugs such as oxycodone manufactured by drug cartels or other illegal outlets often have Fentanyl mixed in. But reputable pharmacies do not purchase from these sources.
Americans may legally possess Fentanyl products if prescribed by a physician. Products such as Fentanyl patches are used often for patients in significant pain and with a short life expectancy. Children are at risk if someone in their home is using prescribed Fentanyl patches and the child comes in contact with the patch, either unused or discarded. Fentanyl lollipops are a type of prescription medication that contains the potent opioid drug, Fentanyl. They are designed to provide pain relief for patients with cancer or other chronic pain conditions, and are typically prescribed as a last resort when other pain medications have proven ineffective. Children might be attracted to the lollipops if they are left lying around. Prescribed Fentanyl inhalers are also a concern if small children can access them.
Another risk to children is that Fentanyl is often present in forms that resemble candy or in the colorful boxes that candy is packaged in (see elsewhere in this post.) It does not appear that black market products known as “Rainbow Fentanyl” are manufactured to target children, but rather to seem innocuous to custom officials and law enforcement as they cross the border from Mexico.
The St. Joseph, MO News Press writes:
“Fentanyl has been mixed with marijuana flowers and edibles such as gummies, as well as vapes, and parents are being cautioned to warn their children.
‘Talk to your kids about the dangers of drugs, the dangers of taking medications or drinks from people that you don’t know or didn’t see where it came from. . .Only take what’s prescribed to you from a doctor or given to you by your parents.’”
If there is a house guest who is “using” Fentanyl, then that person’s activities may put others in the home at risk.
There is, of course, a risk for law enforcement and first responders who come into contact with people using illegally manufactured Fentanyl.
Public concerns:
With Halloween only a month and one half away, parents will start to become concerned about what strangers might drop in their child’s trick or treat bag. To date, there have been no credible incidents of Fentanyl poisoning from children trick or treating. However, last Halloween, the Attorney General of Florida warned the public of the dangers of Fentanyl:
“Attorney General Ashley Moody is warning parents about the dangers of rainbow fentanyl ahead of Halloween. Law enforcement nationwide is seizing bright colored fentanyl that resembles candy—some of these deadly drugs are being found in toy and candy boxes. With Halloween around the corner, Attorney General Moody held a news conference today in Tampa to spread the word about the danger rainbow Fentanyl poses to kids and young adults.
Attorney General Ashley Moody said, ‘Halloween can be scary, but nowhere near as scary as Rainbow colored Fentanyl that looks like candy and can be lethal in minute doses. Whether these drugs are being transported in candy boxes or mixed with other common drugs and sold to unsuspecting users, the threat posed to the safety of kids and young adults is very real. Just one pill laced with Fentanyl can kill, so parents please talk to your children about the dangers posed by this extremely lethal drug.[2]
Precautions:
Families who have legally acquired Fentanyl in the home might stock Narcan (Naloxone) to administer if the Fentanyl user is unresponsive. If you have a family member or guest who you suspect may be using narcotics, having a Narcan injector or inhaler might save their life in an emergeny.
If you’re looking for a game to become addicted to, I would recommend football. May God have mercy on the soul of anyone introducing some unknown substance into their body.
And may Ohio State make it to the Cotton Bowl next January.
[1] Fentanyl lollipops are formulated to deliver fentanyl through the oral mucosa, or the lining of the mouth, for rapid absorption into the bloodstream. The lollipop is placed in the mouth and the patient sucks on it, allowing the medication to dissolve and enter the bloodstream.
[2] The Maryland Center for School Safety clarifies these remarks: “A recent NPR article addressed the concern of pills being trafficked in candy and toy packaging approaching Halloween. It is important to note the pills seized in candy packaging resemble opioid pills and are notdisguised as actual candy like Nerds or Skittles. This packaging is likely used by wholesale traffickers to conceal the contents from authorities while they are being transported and is removed before the pills are distributed on the street level.”
