Racine County Distributing Free Fentanyl Tests to Combat Opioid Epidemic, Prevent Overdose Deaths

Racine County, Wisconsin has begun distributing fentanyl tests to the public in the county’s “continued efforts to battle the opioid epidemic and prevent overdose deaths.”

Officials have discovered a disturbing trend with street narcotics in the community, with Racine County’s Outpatient Clinic Manager Pauline Ortloff expressing in a statement, “Many narcotics are laced with deadly fentanyl, and users have no idea that what they are ingesting may be lethal. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that can be 80-100 times stronger than morphine. The purpose of fentanyl test strips is to allow the user to test the substance before using it to determine if fentanyl is present.”

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Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Meets to Discuss the Danger of Fake Prescription Medication

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) met Monday morning to discuss the dangers of drug addiction and counterfeit medication. Director David Rausch said in the meeting, “let me be clear, if you’re buying pills on the street, in our state, you’re gambling.” Rausch gave a presentation showing examples of drugs like oxycodone, and compared them to the fake pills that people have been dying from. Most fake prescription pills contain fentanyl, a synthetic opioid. In 2017, fentanyl had attributed to 59 percent of drug overdose deaths. In 2019, Tennessee lost over two thousand people to drug overdoses, and of those over a thousand were fentanyl related. 

Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Commissioner Marie Williams said, “Our state doesn’t just have a counterfeit pill problem, or an opioid problem, or a methamphetamine problem, we have an addiction problem. Just like every other state in this country.”

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Report: One in Three Children Enter Foster Care Due to Parental Drug Abuse, Ohio Rate Jumped 29 Percent

A report released Tuesday by the nonprofit Child Trends revealed that for the sixth consecutive year, 2017 saw a significant rise in the number of children entering foster care due to parental drug abuse or drug seeking behavior. According to the report, 131 out of every 100,000 children in America ends up in foster care because one or both of their parents’ behavior in connection to drug use, representing a “5 percent increase from the previous fiscal year and a 53 percent increase since FY 2007.” The study ascertained the findings by combining statistics from several organizations and government agencies, most notably the National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect (NDACAN), an initiative U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Cornell University. The HHS also provides their own statistics through the Children Bureau. Lastly, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a privately funded nonprofit, also provides data on children and families throughout the country. In addition, the study also found that “six states and territories – Puerto Rico, Wyoming, New York, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Ohio – saw the largest rate increases.” Of all fifty states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia, 17 states and territories saw rate decreases, 3…

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Kentucky Sheriff Relies on Faith in God in Fighting County’s Drug Epidemic

Bobby Jack Woods doesn’t have an easy job as sheriff of a Kentucky county plagued by drug abuse. What gets him through is his faith in God, reports Kentucky Today, a news outlet of the Kentucky Baptist Convention. A 37-year veteran Kentucky lawman, Woods serves Boyd County at the northeastern edge of the state. Boyd County ranks among the top five in Kentucky in overdose deaths. Statewide, 1,404 people died from overdoses in 2016, a new high. The state has seen rising abuse of heroin and fentanyl, an opioid pain medication. Opioid and heroin addictions are also a growing problem across the nation. “Being a sheriff in Kentucky is a test of faith, and I mean that sincerely,” he said. “You see so much heartache. There are times when you wonder why God lets people suffer or why God let’s people do some of the things they do.” But Woods, a member of a Baptist church in Ashland, said he is grateful that he can also lean on his faith in his grueling line of work. Woods said young people aren’t the only ones getting caught up in drug abuse. A couple in their 70s were recently found dead of overdoses in an…

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