Republican Women of the Rio Grande Valley, alongside Congresswoman Monica De La Cruz, hosted an informational panel in Edinburgh on fentanyl and its dangers as an epidemic. Panel members at the RNC Conference Center included Sandra Bagwell, Mission Police Chief Cesar Torres and DPS Lt. Chris Olivarez.
Fentanyl, a highly potent synthetic opioid, is a drug “50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine,” according to Texas.gov. Illegally manufactured fentanyl can be mixed with other drugs such as heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, and counterfeit pills, resulting in accidental poisoning.
Bagwell, who lost her son to fentanyl poisoning after taking pharmaceutical pills from Mexico, began the panel that evening, advising parents to educate their children about the dangers of fentanyl through videos and documentaries.
“I believe it’s never too young to educate your child about fentanyl,” she said. “Because it can happen at any age. »
Photo by Maria Ruiz/Progress Times.
In 1999, an average of 2,000 people died from fentanyl poisoning. In 2015, that number rose to 33,000. From 2021 to 2022, more than 100,000 people have lost their lives to the drug, according to a statistic shared by emcee John Rodriguez Jr.
To track the drug epidemic and substances seized by the Mission Police Department, Chief Torres said the department is meeting with local and state agencies such as the FBI, HSI, DA, Homeland Security and the border patrol.
“Fentanyl poisoning is a very serious problem,” he said. “We try to stay ahead of the curve. And we do that by working in partnership with each other, discussing the problem and developing programs to keep people safe.
This year alone, Mission police have seized more than $9 million in drugs; 3,000 pounds of cocaine, 7,000 pounds of marijuana, 6,000 pounds of methamphetamine, 32,000 pounds of Vicodin, and 202 pounds of fentanyl.
Lt. Olivarez thanked everyone in attendance, saying showing up to events like these helps law enforcement raise awareness of a dangerous and ongoing problem.
“Last year, we lost more than 21,000 Texans to fentanyl poisoning,” he said. “That’s about five Texans a day that we’re losing.”
The DPS lieutenant also said fentanyl is not addictive and most die from poisoning.
“They are deceived. They don’t know what’s in the pill,” he said. “He’s placed in drugs, marijuana, heroin and methamphetamine. They mix these drugs with fentanyl. This is why people die.
Although fentanyl is a problem in big cities, Olivarez assures the public that it happens every day in the Rio Grande Valley.
“It goes through the entry points. It is smuggled in body carriers,” he said.
Last month in Cameron County, 12 people suffered fentanyl poisoning and overdose, and eight of them died.
“It’s here right now,” Olivarez said. “The threat is there.”
With bills such as Tucker’s Law, also known as House Bill 3908, signed by Governor Abbott in June of this year, fentanyl awareness and prevention education is coming to classrooms across the country. sixth to twelfth grade.
Chief Torres also noted that mental illness is a factor leading to drug addiction and fentanyl use. He insisted that mental health was a crucial topic on the panel.
“It all comes back to mental health,” he said. “It affects everyone.”
With opioid use, the work of this panel, and awareness events surrounding the opioid epidemic, activists and law enforcement are hopeful that there will be prevention through education.
“This is a crisis that is affecting our region, and we thought it was important to inform our constituents, our members,” said Rio Grande Valley Republican Women President Della Perez Rodriguez.
