- Home
- Prevention
- The Opioid Crisis
- Toddler Among 4 Confirmed Fentanyl Overdose Deaths
Toddler Among 4 Confirmed Fentanyl Overdose Deaths
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2022
Four confirmed fentanyl overdose deaths... several other suspected fentanyl-related deaths... 17 nonfatal overdoses... Responding to these overdose emergencies during a 13-day span this month prompted the Kansas City Police to issue a stark warning Wednesday; "Spike In Suspected Fentanyl Overdoses."
A toddler was among the confirmed fentanyl overdose deaths.
"Please talk with your family and friends; they should never take a medication that was not prescribed to them," the KCPD new release stated, adding, "If you know anyone who abuses illicit drugs and opioids, please encourage them to get help with their addiction. Additionally, many groups we work with suggest having Narcan on hand and utilizing fentanyl test kits to determine the presence of fentanyl."
Lethal Dose—2 MIilligrams
Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid approximately 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin, is realtively cheap to manufacture and highly addictive. Drug dealers mix it with cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin, and use it in creating counterfeit pills that they pass off to unsuspected users as oxycodone, Xanax and Adderall.
Fentanyl is lethal in just a two milligram dose.
In September, the KCPD's Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU) seized four large amounts of fentanyl, including 17,400 pills and a two-kilogram seizure. The DEU has repeatedly seized fentanyl in kilogram bricks.
There are a million—1,000,000—milligrams in a kilogram, enough for a half-million fatal doses.
More About Fentanyl On jacksoncountycombat.com
-
September 2, 2022 (Updated May 9, 2023)
'Rainbow Fentanyl'Brightly colored fentanyl is being produced in multiple forms, including pills, powder, blocks that resemble sidewalk and other variations "made to look like candy." Are drug cartels deliberately targeting young people to increase their sales of highly addictive—and potentially deadly—fentanyl?
» RAINBOW FENTANYL -
January 30, 2023
Jackon County Task Force Spearheads OD-Related Investigation
An investigation the Jackson County Drug Task Force spearheaded has led to multiple federal charges against a Kansas City man linked to at least three fatal fentanyl overdoses in 2022. Firearms, numerous pills containing fentanyl and hundreds of thousands of dollars seized.
» OVERDOSE-RELATED INVESTIGATION -
June 22, 2022
Investigation Breaks Up Major Cartel Trafficking Operation
Enough Fentanyl Seized For Potentially Millions Of Lethal DosesAn investigation that the Jackson County Drug Task Force and federal Homeland Security officials initiated more two years ago has culminated in 39 defendants being indicted for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute more than 335 kilograms (738½ pounds) of methamphetamine and 22 kilograms (48½ pounds) of heroin. Especially alarming was the amount of fentanyl also seized: 10.4 kilograms (22.9 pounds), enough for millions—literally millions—of potentially lethal doses.”
» 'DEADLY' DRUGS KEPT OFF STREETS
-
'If you can see it...
it can kill you!'- Is it really true that a small dose of fentanyl—"if you can see it, it can kill you"—can be fatal?
- Can fentanyl be 50 to 100 times more potent than heroin?
- Are you willing to bet your life the "prescription" pill sold or given to you illegally isn't counterfeit and laced with a lethal dose of fentanyl? (If it does contain fentanyl, the odds are the amount of fentanyl will be enough to cause a fatal overdose).
- How is fentanyl used in medical treatments?
- Is it true that fentanyl-involved overdoses are now a leading cause of death among young adults?
Get the answers. Spread the word. Warn those you know and love!