Kentucky Sheriff’s Department Seizes Fentanyl Enough to Kill 2 Million

Clear Facts

• A small sheriff’s department in Madison County, Kentucky has seized enough fentanyl in the past five years to kill two million Americans.
• Despite being a district with fewer than 100,000 residents, the area has “easy access” to the lethal drug, according to Chief Sheriff’s Deputy Tony Terry.
• The Voices of Hope Recovery Center in Lexington is working to combat the epidemic, offering over 1,000 recovery meetings annually and a mobile van service for those battling addiction on the streets.

In the heartland of America, a small sheriff’s department in Madison County, Kentucky, has been fighting a silent war against a deadly enemy. Over the past five years, this department has confiscated an alarming amount of fentanyl, a lethal drug with the potential to kill two million Americans.

Madison County, a central Kentucky district with a population of fewer than 100,000 people, has become a hotspot for this deadly drug. “Residents have ‘easy access’ to the deadly drug,” Chief Sheriff’s Deputy Tony Terry told a local CBS News station.

In the last half-decade, county deputies have seized nearly eight pounds of fentanyl. To put this in perspective, Terry explained, “2.2 pounds is a kilogram. That’s enough to kill 500,000 people. It’s so easy to access. And [there are] so many ways to use it. It’s mixed with a lot of the pills.”

The lethal dose of fentanyl is frighteningly small, comparable to the size of a stick of pencil lead. This makes it easy to mix with other substances and difficult for users to detect.

“Many of the fatal overdoses have been due to drug users unknowingly consuming fentanyl,” Terry said. He added, “The drug users don’t know, sometimes, that they are getting that. That is the unfortunate part. They put that into their body; they don’t survive.”

In response to this crisis, the Voices of Hope Recovery Center in Lexington is offering programs to help combat the epidemic. They host more than 1,000 recovery meetings each year and run a mobile van service that aids those who suffer addiction on the streets.

Program coordinator Gary Biggers shared his insights on the issue, saying, “They may have been in college and partying. Their friends are doing it. I don’t think people want to do dangerous drugs like fentanyl. It kind of progresses over time.”

Biggers, a former drug addict himself, uses his experience to help others overcome their addiction. He shared, “That’s the thing that impacts me the most. Because I have lost friends to fentanyl overdoses. They were unaware they were even doing fentanyl.”

He concluded by emphasizing the need for community involvement in combating this crisis. “We as a community need to get better to help people get in recovery. And help people realize the dangers of fentanyl.”

Clear Thoughts (op-ed)

The battle against fentanyl in Madison County, Kentucky, should serve as a wake-up call to the rest of America. This deadly drug has infiltrated the heartland, and it’s only a matter of time before it spreads further.

The fact that a small sheriff’s department in a district with fewer than 100,000 residents has managed to seize enough fentanyl to kill two million Americans is both commendable and frightening. It highlights the resourcefulness of the drug dealers and the monumental task law enforcement faces in combating this epidemic.

Organizations like Voices of Hope Recovery Center in Lexington are doing crucial work in helping those affected by addiction. However, the responsibility to tackle this crisis cannot fall solely on the shoulders of such groups.

It is imperative that communities band together to raise awareness of the dangers of fentanyl and support those in recovery. We must also demand that our elected officials take decisive action to combat the spread of this deadly drug. The future of our nation depends on it.

Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.

Source