Teenage Fentanyl Deaths Are Soaring, and Black Teens Are Hit Hardest

Overdose deaths linked to synthetic opioids like fentanyl tripled among teenagers and went up five times among Black teens in the past two years, according to provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The nonprofit group Families Against Fentanyl compiled the data from the CDC, which said 2021 figures are incomplete because drug overdose deaths have a six-month lag in reporting time. Margaret Warner, from …

US report finds Mexico is dominant source of fentanyl trafficked into US

A new government report out Tuesday details how opioid trafficking in the United States has changed in recent years, with Mexico now a “dominant source” of the country’s fentanyl supply and synthetic opioids rapidly saturating drug markets. In its report, the federal Commission on Combating Synthetic Opioid Trafficking — a bipartisan group of US lawmakers, experts and officials from federal departments and agencies …

‘No parent should go through this’: Fentanyl drives explosion of drug overdoses in South

Belle Chasse, Louisiana — She died on her parents’ 20th wedding anniversary, one week before she would have graduated with honors from high school. Her father found Hailey Deickman, an 18-year-old whom her family affectionately called “Hailey Bug,” convulsing and throwing up bile and blood in her childhood bedroom. While her classmates were receiving their diplomas, Deickman’s eyes, lungs, kidney, liver and heart …

Tennessee US Rep. wants fentanyl traffickers to spend life in prison

WASHINGTON (WZTV) — A U.S. lawmaker from Tennessee wants fentanyl drug traffickers to spend life behind bars for certain offenses. Republican Tennessee U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett is the sponsor of H.R. 6493, a bill which amends the Controlled Substances Act to allow for life imprisonment for certain offenses involving the deadly drug fentanyl. The bill would create a punishment of life …

Traffic stop finds 20 lbs. of fentanyl in a fire extinguisher

A major drug bust along Interstate 40 nets almost one million dollars’ worth of fentanyl. “We found pipe bombs. We found human trafficking victims, those who human traffic them.  We arrest multiple people with warrants,” Johnie Carter said. He is the Director of the West Tennessee Drug Task Force. And this week, they made a new find. An officer with the  West Tennessee …

100 bags of fentanyl found in bedroom of Connecticut teen who overdosed at school, police say

After a 13-year-old boy died from a fentanyl overdose at a Connecticut middle school, Hartford Police said Tuesday they found an extra 100 bags of fentanyl in the teenager’s room. Police found 40 bags of fentanyl at the Sports and Medical Science Academy in Hartford, Connecticut, on Jan. 13 after the teenage student collapsed in the school gymnasium. Two other students were taken to a …

2021 deadliest year for overdoses in Nashville with 700+

 In 2021, 712 suspected overdose deaths were reported, representing a 15% increase compared to 2020 which was previously the deadliest year on record with 621 overdose deaths. Michelle Dubey, Chief Clinical Officer for Landmark Recovery a local addiction treatment center, has seen a steep jump in cases following the onset of COVID-19. “We’re coming out of what feels like a …

3 teens taken to the hospital after presumed fentanyl exposure at Connecticut school

A 13-year-old male is in grave condition after he overdosed at his Hartford, Connecticut, school on Thursday from a presumed fentanyl exposure, according to authorities. Two other male students involved were also taken to the hospital, according to police. On Thursday morning, the Hartford Police Department (HPD) responded to the Sport and Medical Sciences Academy (SMSA), a statement from HPD says. A …

11 indicted in alleged conspiracy to distribute marijuana, fentanyl in West Tennessee

Authorities investigated marijuana and fentanyl pills coming from Washington and California being distributed in West Tennessee.11 indicted in alleged conspiracy to distribute marijuana, fentanyl in West Tennessee. Drug charges have been filed against 11 people accused of distributing marijuana and fentanyl in West Tennessee. U.S. Attorney Joseph C. Murphy Jr. announced on Thursday that on July 12, 2021, 11 people …