# 79

Pregnant Vermont mother overdoses and dies along with fetus @7.5 months.

Multiple Narcan efforts fail to produce recovery.

Narcan did revive mother 5 months earlier.

In this report dated February 24, 2017, Police describe substance as "apparent opioid overdose."  Police also report that the victim's friends attempted Narcan revival unsuccessfully before they called 911 and Narcan attempts were unsuccessful when Medics arrived.

Once Toxicology results are known, this blog promises to track and update.

http://www.necn.com/news/new-england/Police-Pregnant-Woman-Fetus-Die-After-Drug-Overdose-414867973.html

# 78

Two senators sponsor bill aimed at main source of Fentanyl: China; through the US Mail!

Below article provides a path designed to reduce the illicit availability of Fentanyl, to Drug dealers, entering the US from China.  Goal of the bill is to reduce fatalities resulting from the powerful opioid.

"That's why we introduced new, bipartisan legislation -- the Synthetic Trafficking and Overdose Prevention Act, or the STOP Act -- to simply close the loophole and require the postal service to obtain advance electronic data on packages before they cross our borders.

Based on expert testimony at hearings at the Senate Homeland Security Committee, this simple policy change would make it easier for our customs agents and the DEA to detect packages containing fentanyl or synthetic drugs to help keep this poison out of our country.

Our bill would take away a key tool of drug traffickers and restrict the supply of these drugs, raising their price and making them harder to get."

http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/21/opinions/china-mails-synthetic-heroin-portman-klobuchar/index.html

# 77

Drug Dealer in Chicago pleads guilty and apologizes to parents of deceased 22 year old daughter.  Receives 30 year sentence.

In the below February 2017 article, readers learn that Emily Buckley did not use any opioids.  However, her boyfriend does.  When she looked outside their home and saw the boyfriend being interviewed by police, she opted to swallow the pills he recently purchased because she thought they would enter the home and find the pills.  Emily's father told the dealer that he "stole" his daughter's vibrant future; her mother told the dealer that she has prayed for him.

The dealer, 22, made a tearful apology.


http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/daily-southtown/news/ct-sta-man-pleads-guilty-st-0212-20170210-story.html

# 76

Mother writes her son's history; his youthful and adult decisions which led to his death from a mixture of Oxycodone and Alcohol.

The below article is offered by a mother who is hoping to reach-out to other parents and youth who may not yet be addicted to any substance.

http://medicineabuseproject.org/stories/my-son-died-from-accidental-prescription-drug-overdose

# 75

Berea, Ohio parents arrested when 7 year-old son overdoses from heroin, later revived at hospital.

In the below article, both parents were arrested and jailed with $150,000.00 bond after their unconscious child was taken to the hospital and heroin and prescription pills were found in the child's sock.  The parents admitted to the police that they had used drugs earlier the same day.

"It was at the hospital that officers first learned what happened to boy.  Hospital employees found a baggie of heroin and prescription pills tucked inside the boy's sock, records say."

The report also relates that :

The death-rate for heroin, fentanyl and other opiate deaths have skyrocketed from 64 in 2011 to at least 517 in 2016, according to the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office.

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2017/02/berea_parents_charged_in_7-yea.html

# 72

Update to Post # 64

On January 31, 2017, the Medical Examiner for Cambria County, Pennsylvania, reported that the two parents cause of death was acute Fentanyl Overdose.  Coroner Jeff Lees reported that both parents Fentanyl volume was 2.5 times the lethal dosage level.  The cause of death for the couple's child was not changed; dehydration and starvation.  The below article includes a stark map of the US indicating Drug Poisoning Deaths per 100,000 people, per county.

http://wjla.com/news/nation-world/5-month-old-babys-death-ruled-a-homicide-parents-died-of-fentanyl-overdoses

# 74

Consumers and American Society learn that "truth-in-packaging" reliance...can be fatal.

31 years ago, Johnson & Johnson stopped issuing Tylenol medicine in capsule form after a consumer expired after ingesting a capsule labeled as Tylenol but containing lethal cyanide.

Fast forward 31 years and "heroin" purchasers around North America are dying in record numbers because the marketers of the "heroin" have replaced the white powder with a more potent CNS depressant - Fentanyl.

http://wtop.com/media-galleries/2016/02/today-in-history-feb-17/slide/4/

# 73

Positive Report addresses proactive youth in Jefferson County, Missouri

This blog joined CADCA (Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America) in 2016 and receives their monthly publication.  In February 2017, the very positive article (below) was featured and it provides the success and proactive measures taken by a Missouri County.

The coalition, Jefferson County Drug Prevention Coalition, represents a County for which more than one fourth of its population is below the age of 18.  One of their proactive actions has been the distribution of flyers and counter-mats which encourage people to dispose of unused/unwanted medications and maps for disposal units are furnished.

 Out of the 15 pharmacies who responded, most affirmed that the maps are prominently displayed at their counters:

Six print and distribute flyers

Most confirmed that this effort is very useful 

Interestingly, 93 percent affirmed that the counter mats have created conversations among customers and staff

10 out of 15 affirmed that they would be interested in hosting Prescription Drug Take-Backs

“Results are exceptional, with 3000 pounds of medications collected in 2016,”


http://www.cadca.org/resources/coalitions-action-jefferson-county-drug-prevention-coalition-sets-stage-future-generations