Fentanyl Victims Network of North Carolina
Stronger Together! Grassroots campaign against illicit fentanyl in NC IRS recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit public charity EIN: 88-3921380
by Rob Schofield, NC Newsline
October 27, 2023
NC Newsline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. NC Newsline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Rob Schofield for questions: info@ncnewsline.com. Follow NC Newsline on Facebook and Twitter.
GUILFORD COUNTY, N.C. (WGHP) โ Guilford County Sheriff Danny Rogers held a town hall with several senior staffers Monday night to address concerns about the detention center, crime in the county and staffing concerns in the department.
Fentanyl took center stage, though.
โThat was the day our whole world came crashing down โฆ Since then, itโs been my mission to bring attention and awareness to fentanyl,โ said Debbie Peeden, a grandmother who lost her granddaughter to fentanyl poisoning two years ago.
Continue reading “Guilford County Sheriffโs Office discuss fentanyl at town hall”Fentvic has recieved updated reports from the North Carolina Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME). Latest reports can be found here on the Fentvic website.
There were 266 fentanyl-positive deaths in July 2023 compared to 251 in July 2022. Year to date, there is a 6% increase (2,045) compared to this time last year, January to July 2022 (1,926).
Data Source: NC OCME Toxicology data; NC OCME Toxicology is nationally accredited by the American Board of Forensic Toxicology, Inc. NC OCME Toxicology provides forensic analytical testing of specimens for all 100 counties of the statewide medical examiner system. Toxicology results are based on blood, vitreous fluid, or other specimens used for testing at the discretion of the pathologist and/or toxicologist. For additional information regarding these reports, please contact ocme.data.request@dhhs.nc.gov
At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, three students stand behind a card table covered in naloxone injection kits. When a curious student leans in and asks what the kits are for, Caroline Clodfelter, one of the co-founders of the student group running the table, explains: “It will reverse an opioid overdose. โฆ So let’s say you’re going out to a frat โ stick it in your pocket. It’s easy to just have on you.”
Nearly 600 miles away, at the State University of New York’s Delhi campus, Rebecca Harrington, who works in student affairs, has also been tabling to prevent fentanyl overdoses. Her table, though, is full of colorful cups, a water jug and candies in zip-close bags โ tools for her demonstration on how to use a fentanyl test strip. These test strips allow students to see whether a pill has been laced with the deadly synthetic opioid.
Test strips and naloxone are becoming more and more common on college campuses, and at least one health department has recommended they be added to school packing lists. For students who didn’t bring their own, many campuses are handing them out at welcome fairs, orientation events or campus health centers.
As more teens overdose on fentanyl, schools face a drug crisis unlike any other
Fentanyl was involved in the vast majority of teen overdose deaths in 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nearly a quarter of those deaths involved counterfeit pills that weren’t prescribed by a doctor. And the problem has been following teens onto college campuses.
Students may think they’re taking pills like oxycodone, Xanax or Vicodin. Instead, those pills often have fentanyl in them, resulting in overdoses on campuses across the U.S., from Ohio to Colorado to Oregon. At UNC-Chapel Hill, three students died from fentanyl poisoning in just the last two years.
Continue reading “The latest college campus freebies? Naloxone and fentanyl test strips”Despite the state cracking down on people who deal deadly drugs, holding those responsible remains difficult.
WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – Fentanyl claims the lives of about 12 North Carolinians every day.
Death by distribution laws hold the dealers accountable if users die, but itโs not as simple as tracking the dealer down.
New Hanover and Pender County district attorney Ben David says most cases involving death by distribution donโt go to trial, often because the nature of the crime doesnโt leave much evidence.
โThe best victim canโt tell you what happened. And so, we have to try these like any homicide, relying on things like digital footprints and witness interviews,โ David said.
David says because they need evidence beyond a reasonable doubt, investigations can take months, sometimes even more than a year, before charges are filed. Itโs worth it to the families who have lost someone.
โEveryoneโs someoneโs baby. And we know that this epidemic is visiting houses across our district. And we are going to go wherever we can to make sure that justice is being done,โ he said.
Part of that justice is stiffer penalties, such as murder charges for the dealer if the user dies.
David isnโt buying it when someone says they didnโt know the drugs were laced.
โNo one can claim, at this point, that theyโre unaware that fentanyl is deadly. And if they are mixing that into drugs or are selling it in a pure form to begin with, they should not be surprised when their best customers are dying,โ David said. โThey should not be surprised when we try to put them into prison for murder and nothing less.โ
David wants people to know that North Carolinians are protected under immunity to call 9-1-1 in the case of an emergency, even if it involves illegal drugs. It can save lives.
Copyright 2023 WECT. All rights reserved.
Read the full article and watch the video on the WECT News 6 website.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services says 11 people die from an overdose in the state every day.
Watch the video on the WFMY News 2 website.
According to the CDC, more than 150 people die everyday to opioids, including fentanyl. Over 13,000 NC families have lost a loved one to the deadly illicit drug.
BURLINGTON, N.C. โ According to the Fentanyl Victims Network of North Carolina, 8 people die each day from fentanyl poisoning.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid, 100x stronger than morphine.
It can be mixed with illegal drugs, made into pills, and even candies.
In the eyes of more than 13,000 North Carolina families, fentanyl is a killer.ย
“We probably already have surpassed 14,000, that’s enough to fill the Charlotte Knights stadium of dead people,” said Barb Walsh, the Executive Director of the Fentanyl Victims Network of North Carolina.
Walsh lost her daughter, Sophia, to fentanyl poisoning.
She hosts events throughout the state to let other families to know, they are not alone.
“You go into a black hole when your child dies and some people don’t come out. I am there for them. I go to the court dates. I feel lucky enough to get them, hold events like this, so they can meet other people who are going through the same thing,” said Walsh.
Read the full article and watch the news segment on the WFMY News 2 website.
Barbara Walsh spoke at the Nantional Fentanyl Awareness Rally in Washington DC on September 23, 2023.