HEALTH Page 12 n THE ASIAN REPORTER November 7, 2022 As fentanyl drives overdose deaths, mistaken beliefs persist By Geoff Mulvihill The Associated Press L illianna Alfaro was a recent high school graduate raising a toddler and considering joining the Army when she and a friend bought what they thought was the anti-anxiety drug Xanax in December 2020. The pills were fake and contained fentanyl, an opioid that can be 50 times as powerful as the same amount of heroin. It killed them both. “Two years ago, I knew nothing about this,” said Holly Groelle, the mother of 19-year-old Alfaro, who lived in Appleton, Wisconsin. “I felt bad because it was something I could not have warned her about, because I didn’t know.” The drug that killed her daughter was rare a decade ago, but fentanyl and other lab-produced synthetic opioids now are driving an overdose crisis deadlier than any the U.S. has ever seen. Last year, overdoses from all drugs claimed more than 100,000 lives for the first time, and the deaths this year have remained at nearly the same level — more than gun and auto deaths combined. The federal government counted more accidental overdose deaths in 2021 alone than it did in the 20-year period from 1979 through 1998. Overdoses in recent years have been many times more frequent than they were during the black tar heroin epidemic that led President Richard Nixon to launch his War on Drugs, or during the cocaine crisis in the 1980s. As fentanyl gains attention, mistaken beliefs persist about the drug, how it is trafficked, and why so many people are dying. Experts believe deaths surged not only because the drugs are so powerful, but also because fentanyl is laced into so many other illicit drugs, and not because of changes in how many people are using. In the late 2010s — the most recent period for which federal data is available — deaths were skyrocketing even as the number of people using opioids was dropping. Advocates warn that some of the alarms being sounded by politicians and officials are wrong and potentially dangerous. Among those ideas: that tightening control of the U.S.-Mexico border would stop the flow of the drugs, though experts say the key to reining in the crisis is reducing drug demand; that fentanyl would turn up in kids’ trick-or-treat baskets this Hal- loween; and that merely touching the drug briefly can be fatal — something that researchers found untrue and that advocates worry can make first responders hesitate about giving lifesaving treatment. All three ideas were brought up in an online video that was billed as a pre- Halloween public service announcement from a dozen Republican U.S. senators. A report this year from a bipartisan federal commission found that fentanyl and similar drugs are being made mostly in labs in Mexico from chemicals shipped primarily from China. In New England, fentanyl has largely replaced the supply of heroin. Across the country, it’s being laced into drugs such as cocaine and methamphetamine, some- times with deadly results. And in cases like Alfaro’s, it’s being mixed in Mexico or the U.S. with other substances and pressed into pills meant to look like other drugs. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency has warned that fentanyl is being sold in multicolored pills and powders — some- times referred to as “rainbow fentanyl” — marketed on social media to teens and young adults. Jon DeLena, the agency’s associate special agent in charge, said at the National Crime Prevention Council sum- mit on fentanyl in Washington that there’s “no direct information that Halloween is specifically being targeted or young people are being targeted for Halloween,” but that didn’t keep the idea from spreading. Joel Best, an emeritus sociology professor at the University of Delaware, said that idea falls in with a long line of Halloween-related scares. He has examined cases since 1958 and has not found a single instance of a child dying because of something foreign put into Halloween candy — and few instances of that being done at all. “If you give a dose of fentanyl to kids in elementary school, you have an excellent chance of killing them,” he said. “If you do addict them, what are you going to do, try to take their lunch money? No one is trying to addict little kids to fentanyl.” FENTANYL FATALITIES. The U.S. Drug En- forcement Agency has warned that fentanyl is being sold in multicolored pills and powders — sometimes referred to as “rainbow fentanyl” — marketed on so- cial media to teens and young adults. (Photos cour- tesy of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office) In midterm election campaigns, fentanyl has not been getting as much attention as issues such as inflation and abortion. But Republicans running for offices including governor and U.S. Senate in Arkansas, New Mexico, and Pennsyl- vania have framed the fentanyl crisis as a result of Democrats being lax about securing the Mexican border or soft on crime as part of a broader campaign asser- tion that Democrats foster lawlessness. And when Democrats have highlighted the overdose crisis in campaigns this year, it has often been to tout their roles in forging settlements to hold drugmakers and distributors responsible. Relying heavily on catching fentanyl at the border would be futile, experts say, because it’s easy to move in small, hard-to-detect quantities. “I don’t think that reducing the supply is going to be the answer because it’s so easy to mail,” said Adam Wandt, an assistant professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Still, some more efforts are planned on the U.S.-Mexico border, including in- creasing funding to search more vehicles crossing ports of entry. The bipartisan commission found those crossings are where most fentanyl arrives in the country. The commission is calling for many of the measures that other advocates want to see, including better coordination of the federal response, targeted enforcement, Continued on page 13 Marcus Mariota making the most of his second chance in Atlanta Continued from page 10 start to a surprising run to the AFC championship game. Mariota’s career as a Titan was over. He wouldn’t start another game in the NFL for 1,064 days. “I felt like I was part of a good team, part of a good organization,” Mariota says now. “I thought if we could get the ball rolling, I could be there for a long time.” Instead, he moved on to Las Vegas, where he spent two years backing up Derek Carr and getting scant playing time with the Raiders. Just when it looked as if Mariota’s career might be on its last legs, he hooked up with his former offensive coordinator in Tennessee, Arthur Smith. Heading into his second year as Atlanta’s coach, Smith needed a quarterback. The Falcons decided to trade long- time starter Ryan to ease their salary cap woes, and they didn’t have anyone ready to step into the job immediately. Smith remembered Mariota’s potential and thought he could be just what his rebuilding team needed, at least in the short term. Mariota got off to a rocky start, with four touchdown passes and four interceptions through his first five games, not to mention some major issues hanging on to the ball. He fumbled seven times, losing three of them. COVID-19 vaccines offer hope. COVID-19 vaccines offer hope. You can can get get a f r ee vacci ne t hat You a free vaccine pr against ot ect s you agai nst 19. COVID- 19. COVID- If you a re 65 or older: Cal l 50 3- 988- 8939 t o get hel p schedul i ng an appoi nt ment at a vacci nat i on cl i ni c. Int er pr et er s ar e avai l abl e. t hat prot ect s you Through it all, though, his steady demeanor was winning over his teammates. A quarterback’s job goes beyond the numbers. He also must be a leader, and Mariota fits that bill perfectly. “That’s probably one of the coolest dudes I’ve ever met in my life,” safety Jaylinn Hawkins said. “He’s a very, very humble individual and sharp at what he does. He’s always poised. There’s no panic in his game. He has everybody’s back.” Smith saw Mariota’s confidence growing with each start, especially when the Falcons won a couple of games and kept things close in their losses. The coach saw Mariota’s demeanor having an impact on those around him. “These guys believe in him. Those are things you can’t put in a stat sheet,” Smith said. “He didn’t play for 2 1/2 years, so it took a couple of games. He was a little rusty here and there. But I feel like every game, he’s getting more comfortable.” There’s still a long way to go in the season. If Mariota stumbles again, he could be one-and-done in Atlanta. If that happens, this could be his final chance to prove he’s capable of starting for an NFL team. Mariota isn’t looking too far ahead. After all, it took so long just to get back here. Cal l or check wi t h your l ocal phar macy. Vi si t mul t co.us/ covi dvacci ne f or t he l at est on how and wher e t o get a vacci ne. COVID quest i ons? 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