Photo: helping someone who has overdosed
Originally published as a Santa Cruz Police Department Facebook post –
“Early this morning, our night shift patrol team responded to the encampment by the East Levee for the 14th drug overdose in the past two weeks. Santa Cruz Police have responded to now 14 narcotic overdoses including two deaths.
The life threatening events were likely caused by the use of illegal narcotics laced with a deadly amount of Fentanyl. One individual smoked Fentanyl with Marijuana. It is unknown if he put it into the Marijuana himself or someone else did. Investigators attribute this spike in overdoses to the highly addictive synthetic opioid drug Fentanyl.
The data in Santa Cruz County is consistent with what law enforcement and public health officials have been seeing across the country over the past decade. Drug overdoses and related deaths across the region, the state and the nation have increased. If it were not for Narcan, it would be much higher. SCPD Officers, SCFD and medics have been able to reverse the overdose by administering naloxone.
Investigation into these incidents has revealed that an unknown person, or persons, had recently distributed these deadly mixes of narcotics into our community.
Drug dealers are more interested in their profit margin than they are with people. Fentanyl is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine. Drug dealers mix Fentanyl with marijuana, methamphetamine, cocaine, and other illegal narcotics because they can use less Fentanyl to achieve a high.
If anyone has purchased any street level narcotics, DO NOT take them. Unfortunately, there’s no way to look at it to determine if someone has mixed up a deadly combo – any narcotic can contain fentanyl. Methamphetamine and fentanyl are dangerously potent.
If anyone has recently purchased recreational use narcotics, including marijuana, law enforcement is pleading that they not use them as they may be related to the incidents in question.
If you know of someone who suffers from addiction please check on them to ensure they have not obtained any of these tainted substances.
If you know of someone who suffers from addiction please check on them to ensure they have not obtained any of these tainted substances.
If you suspect illegal drug activity is occurring in your neighborhood, please call the 911 Center at (831) 471- 1131.”
SCPD Officers & Medics Respond To Fentanyl Overdoses was last modified: January 5th, 2023 by
Categories:
Santa Cruz