(Atlantic) Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird appeared in front of sixth through twelve grade students at the Atlantic High School Auditorium to address the deadly drug fentanyl, its usage, and the legal and personal consequences this deadly drug can cause.
Cass County Sheriff Darby McLaren and Atlantic Police Chief Devin Hogue led the assembly, explaining why they were there. Chief Devin Hogue explained why they were there that Thursday afternoon.
Cass County Sheriff Darby McLaren says Fentanyl has taken on a unique perspective in Cass County.
Brenna Bird stated Fentanyl is real throughout the state of Iowa.
Bird says Fentanyl is the leading cause of death for young people 18-45 years of age. She explained it takes less than a substance no larger than a tip of a pencil to kill someone, or two milligrams of Fentanyl can result in overdose or death.
Bird says drug dealers have drill presses to attempt to impersonate a pill from a pharmacy. She says there is no safe dosage from an illegal drug. Illegal drug users may take one pill one day, another a second, and the pill used on the third day kills them. Additionally, Fentanyl is often mixed into other drugs like marijuana or vape pens. She says in some cases, Fentanyl can be disguised as candy.
Atlantic Police Chief Devin Hogue ended the program by sharing an experience he had with a young person overdosing on Fentanyl.
Fentanyl pill seizures rose 83 percent last year in Iowa, Nebraska, and several Midwest states. The Drug Enforcement Administration says agents removed two-point-nine-million lethal doses of Fentanyl in pill and powder from off-streets in the Midwest alone. Nationally, the DEA seized enough deadly doses of Fentanyl last year to kill every American.
