Fentanyl is a crisis in the Central Valley. You must talk to your kids about it, officials warn

Parents were urged Wednesday to talk to their children ASAP about the dangers of fentanyl manufactured by drug cartels and sold on Valley streets, federal and local officials said during a news conference at the Fresno County Sheriff’s Ofice.

U.S. Attorney McGregor Scott called the issue a public health crisis, and warned that the synthetic opioid, often disguised on the street as Xanax or Oxycodone, is in fact fentanyl — 50 times more powerful than morphine.

“Don’t do it,” Scott said to anyone thinking about buying the drug from a street dealer.

Scott said he came to Fresno from his Sacramento base to raise awareness of the dangers of the drug. Scott said he didn’t have updated figures on the number of regional deaths caused by the drug, but officials at the conference said because police are carrying the antidote Naloxone, more than a few deaths have been averted.

Fresno Coungt District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp brought another message: Don’t end up like Tyler Skaggs, a pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels, who died after he took fentanyl in 2019. And don’t be like Erik Kay, either, she added. Kay, an Angels’ employee, faces the possibility of decades in prison if he is convicted of providing Skaggs a deadly dose of the drug.

Another chilling fact, according to Scott: Some kids, aware that they might overdose, are also carrying Naloxone dispensers, which can be used to revive an overdose victim.

Not a good idea, according to Dr. Patil Armenian, Co-Director of Medical Toxicology at UCSF Fresno. So toxic are some fentanyl pills, she said, that it takes multiple doses of Naloxone to revive a victim. Those who wake up have no idea what they’ve done, she said.

Sally Moreno, district attorney for Madera County, restressed the message to parents.

“I’m imploring you, walk into a conversation with your kids tonight.”