It isn’t car crashes, it isn’t guns, and it isn&#8217;t suicide: Fentanyl poisoning is now the <a href="https://www.getsmartaboutdrugs.gov/media/dea-administrator-record-fentanyl-overdose-deaths" target="_blank" rel="noopener">leading cause</a> of death among Americans ages 18 to 45. It’s a statistic Janel Rodriguez has surely cited more times than she can count.
&#8220;Years ago, it was much safer, if still inadvisable, to experiment with drugs. You just can’t experiment anymore,&#8221; Rodriguez asserts. 
In August, Rodriguez and Brandon Dunn of Buda, Texas, lost their 15-year-old son Noah to fentanyl poisoning.
But Noah, an honor roll student and athlete from a Christian household, didn’t know the pill he took contained eight milligrams of fentanyl — equivalent to four lethal doses. Though it appeared to be Percocet, the pill did not contain any substance other than fentanyl. 
Rodriguez contends that in Noah’s tragic case, and in the cases of so many others, the word “overdose” simply doesn’t reflect the reality of the situation, nor the nature of the crisis.
Overdose, Rodriguez explained, is accurate only when someone takes too much of a drug they knowingly consume — not when they’re deceived into taking a substance they had no intention of ingesting.
One of her most cherished pictures of Noah is from the San Antonio riverwalk. It was taken in December 2019, as attested to by the Christmas tree in the background and the Johnson High School 2019-20 shirt he wore.
Dunn and Rodriguez loved how the picture showed off his smile. They chuckled while reminiscing because, unlike in more recent photos, he didn’t have a mask hanging around his neck thanks to COVID.
Rodriguez glowingly recounted the months leading up to her son’s passing, telling The Daily Wire that it was the best summer they’d had together.
She confided in us that months before losing her son, he’d experimented with an illegal drug for the first time. He spent several days in the ICU after having a bad reaction. “What happened? You promised us,” Rodriguez said, describing the pain and confusion that she grappled with in the wake of her loss.
Her pain, her grief, her sorrow, all of which can’t truly be expressed in words, was perhaps encapsulated most clearly when, between tears, she cried “I’d do anything for one last hug.”
Now, just nine months after their loss, Rodriguez and Dunn work to ensure that other parents never have to experience the grief they’ve had to endure. Through their non-profit organization, the <a href="https://www.forever15project.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Forever 15 Project</a>, the two raise awareness about the fentanyl crisis, warning of the dangers and ubiquity of the deadly drug that’s coming up through our southern border.
Dunn even <a href="https://judiciary.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/republicans-judiciary.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/mr.-brandon-dunn-testimony.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">testified</a> in front of the House Judiciary Committee Hearing on the Southern Border, pleading with lawmakers to secure the southern border. “This is not a topic that is usually addressed by us in our public speaking, interviews, or other media,” Dunn said of the border before remarking, it is the “elephant in the room that no one wants to address.”
“The United States government has simply not gone far enough in policing and shutting down the main route of this product into the country. That is via the southern border,” he added before asserting “This is not a political issue. It is about life and death.”
While <a href="https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/local-media-release/cbp-officers-make-history-record-breaking-fentanyl-and-meth-seizure#:~:text=CBP%20officers%20at%20the%20Andrade,fuel%20tank%20of%20a%20vehicle." target="_blank" rel="noopener">record breaking</a> fentanyl seizures have been made at points of entry along the southern border, Dunn points out that drug smugglers with any sense do everything they can to evade designated points of entry, which are manned by authorities. It is impossible to truly measure the amount of fentanyl that’s made it into America, Dunn argues. 
Back in Texas, the two are hard at work spreading awareness about the fentanyl crisis and make frequent presentations on the dangers of the drug at middle and high schools. 
Just before their sit-down interview with The Daily Wire, Dunn and Rodriguez were at a school giving the same presentation they have many times before, but this instance was especially heart wrenching. They’d been at Noah’s old high school. Presenting to the sophomores, Noah&#8217;s class, was the hardest. “Those were his friends,” she recalled.
The day before, she was at Noah’s middle school. “Noah was such a teacher’s pet,” Rodriguez recounted. “Every teacher, every coach, the principal, they came up to me and shared a memory about Noah.” She added, &#8220;Seeing his football coach bawling his eyes out was very touching.&#8221;
“It’s hard but it’s healing,” Rodriguez said of the presentations. The assemblies are working. Now, staff members in the Hays Consolidated Independent School District carry Narcan. “We’ve had at least 12 or so revived at school,” Dunn tells The Daily Wire.
But the true number of lives the Forever Fifteen Project has saved is undoubtedly much higher. “We’ll never know how many kids we stopped from taking a pill” or how many kids have declined or forfeited tainted drugs after hearing their presentation, Dunn remarked.
“Noah touched a lot of lives,” Rodriguez reminisced. In his memory, the two are touching and saving many others.
Janel Rodriguez’s and Brandon Dunn’s interviews will be featured in an upcoming mini-documentary from The Daily Wire, which will be posted on our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@DailyWirePlus" target="_blank" rel="noopener">YouTube channel</a>.

House Judiciary Committee Holds Hearing On Border Crisis

They Lost Their Son To Fentanyl Poisoning. Now They’re Saving His Classmates.

They Lost Their Son To The Fentanyl Epidemic, Now They're Saving His Classmates

Border

Border Crisis

Drug Cartels

Fentanyl

Readers Pass

Southern Border

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/los-angeles" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Los Angeles</a> nonprofit workers passed out boxes of government-funded crystal meth pipes to the homeless population living on Skid Row, allegedly assuming it helps prevent fatal drug overdoses.
Bodycam footage reported by local media shows workers from the Homeless Health Care Los Angeles nonprofit organization distributing the drug paraphernalia while driving around the neighborhood in a golf cart, which witnesses said only enables addicts.
&#8220;If you walk down Skid Row and see the people that are on methamphetamine … and got sores all over their body, their teeth falling out, bumps all over their face, running down the street butt naked, that&#8217;s no safety,&#8221; Tony Anthony, resident, told <a href="https://www.foxla.com/news/meth-pipe-giveaway-los-angeles-skid-row" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fox 11 Los Angeles</a>. &#8220;They don&#8217;t need to be coming down here passing out these glass pipes.&#8221;
The news outlet reported that the nonprofit&#8217;s executive director turned down an interview and has yet to issue a statement.
However, in a phone interview, the director allegedly said, &#8220;free meth pipes is a safety issue and part of a harm-reduction program similar to handing out clean needles.&#8221;
The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority estimated 69,144 homeless people lived in Los Angeles County in 2022. Skid Row&#8217;s homeless population recently increased by 13%, according to a study conducted by the RAND Corp., which  was reported earlier this year by <a href="https://abc7.com/homeless-skid-row-hollywood-venice/12738498/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ABC7 Los Angeles</a>.
Andy Bales, President and CEO of Union Rescue Mission, discredited the nonprofit&#8217;s method to the outlet, saying that enabling people to stay in addiction could lead to death.
&#8220;Their philosophy is that people are free to do whatever they want, and that it&#8217;s a system in doing it in a safe way,&#8221; Bales said. &#8220;Well, there is no safe way to use a deadly substance. There is no safe supply of deadly fentanyl when even a little spec of it can cause you to have an overdose death.&#8221;
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Public tax records reported by Fox News show that the nonprofit received $5.7 million in government funding in 2016. Three years later, the organization&#8217;s budget increased to $11.9 million. The nonprofit reported a total revenue of $12.4 million that same year, of which $7.2 million went toward the organization&#8217;s salaries and benefits.
The Epoch Times <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/homeless-industrial-complex-is-alive-and-well-former-la-sheriff_5096380.html?utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_campaign=digitalsub" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> earlier this year that officials spent $6.5 billion trying to solve the county&#8217;s homelessness crisis as the population increased by nearly 70,000 from its 2011 total of 39,000.
Former Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva told the outlet that nonprofit organizations receive county funding toward solving the crisis without clear guidelines on how officials can spend the money — describing what many have called the Homeless Industrial Complex.
At the same time, county officials have created policies — like open drug use without consequences — that invite people nationwide to live on the streets of Los Angeles.
&#8220;There&#8217;s a perception in the entire nation—that if you&#8217;re homeless, and you&#8217;d like to use drugs, go to L.A.,&#8221; he said. &#8220;You&#8217;re enabling the dependency and normalizing the deviancy. That is a very poor predictor for the future of L.A.&#8221;
Methamphetamine overdose deaths between 2015 to 2019 for people ages 18 to 64 nearly tripled in the U.S., per a study by the National Institute on Drug Abuse reported by the news outlet.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health recorded last year that approximately 36% of some 2,000 transient deaths were caused by drug overdoses between April 2020 and March 2021.

Supervised consumption sites in the DTES give addicts who use fentanyl, opioids, crystal methamphetamine and other drugs a place to use

Healthcare Non-Profit Supplies L.A. Homeless With Government-Funded Meth Pipes: Report

Drugs

General

Homelessness

Los Angeles

Methamphetamine

U.S.

President Joe Biden authorized <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/department-of-defense" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Defense Department</a> officials on Thursday to deploy active duty and reserve soldiers to the U.S.-Mexico border amid an international drug trafficking crisis overwhelming the southern border and American communities.
Biden issued an executive order enclosed in a letter to Congress authorizing Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to &#8220;order to active duty units and individual members of the Ready Reserve … to ensure DOD can sustain its support of DHS concerning international drug trafficking along the southwest border.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> authorizes <a href="https://twitter.com/SecDef?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SECDEF</a> and Homeland Security SEC &quot;to order to active duty such units and individual members of the Ready Reserve to ensure&quot; DoD can &quot;properly sustain its support&quot; of Homeland Security &quot;concerning international drug trafficking along the Southwest Border.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/FZlBwfYWSO">pic.twitter.com/FZlBwfYWSO</a>
&mdash; Howard Altman (@haltman) <a href="https://twitter.com/haltman/status/1651636998107537409?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Since Biden took office over two years ago, lawmakers estimate up to six million illegal immigrants have crossed the southern border. Critics of the administration argue drug cartels have taken advantage of Biden’s open border policies by smuggling deadly narcotics inside the U.S.
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Administrator Anne Milgram told Republican members of a House Appropriations Committee panel during a budget <a href="https://appropriations.house.gov/events/hearing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hearing</a> on Thursday that authorities estimated more than 107,000 Americans died last year from violence and drug overdose at the hands of two major Mexican drug cartels — the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation criminal organizations.
Milgram called both organizations &#8220;the greatest drug threat this country has ever faced.&#8221;
&#8220;The drug cartels responsible for bringing fentanyl into this country are ruthless and extremely violent criminal enterprises,&#8221; Milgram said. &#8220;They rely on a global supply chain to manufacture and distribute fentanyl, and they rely on a global illicit financial network to pocket billions of dollars.&#8221;
DEA officials <a href="https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2020-03/DEA_GOV_DIR-008-20%20Fentanyl%20Flow%20in%20the%20United%20States_0.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mapped</a> out the multi-faceted fentanyl crisis three years ago as the flow of the deadly opioid became more diverse compared to its start in 2014. According to the agency, Mexico and China are the primary sources, along with India, for fentanyl and fentanyl-related substances trafficked directly into the United States.
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Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador blamed &#8220;a lack of love&#8221; in American families for the deadly fentanyl crisis ravaging the U.S., saying the country does not produce fentanyl, calling the crisis America&#8217;s problem.
&#8220;Here, we do not produce fentanyl, and we do not have consumption of fentanyl,&#8221; López Obrador said, suggesting that the U.S. instead take care of its problem of &#8220;social decay.&#8221;
The State Department estimated that $154 billion in illicit funds pass through China annually, labeling the nation as a global hub of money laundering activity.
Health Care and Financial Services Subcommittee Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-MI) said during a House oversight <a href="https://oversight.house.gov/release/mcclain-china-playing-major-role-in-enriching-cartels-funding-deadly-fentanyl-epidemic/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hearing</a> on Wednesday that drug cartels and Chinese money laundering organizations have partnered together and created a system that uses Chinese banking apps and other popular Chinese encrypted communications technology, like WeChat.
&#8220;Prior to the rise of Chinese Money Laundering Organizations, cartels laundered their profits on the black-market peso exchange and had to wait at least a week before they received their &#8216;clean&#8217; funds,&#8221; McClain said. &#8220;Now, Chinese Money Laundering Organizations have a system that ensures that cartels receive their profits within hours of handing over illicit drug funds to a courier.&#8221;
&#8220;Not only are these Chinese Money Laundering Organizations able to do this quickly and with incredible efficiency, they do it at a fraction of the cost that cartels were previously forced to pay,&#8221; she added.
Biden&#8217;s authorization of deploying soldiers to the southern border comes as his administration braces for another record surge of migration when the Title 42 COVID restrictions officially end May 11, which has blocked immigrants from crossing the U.S.-Mexico border more than 2.5 million times before the pandemic.
&#8220;We do anticipate a surge in the number of encounters,&#8221; Mayorkas told the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Tuesday.
Estimates <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/immigration-title-42-migrant-centers-latin-america-deportations/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> by media say internal projections show that arrivals could spike to between 10,000 and 13,000 per day next month.
DHS Secretary Mayorkas <a href="https://oversight.house.gov/release/mcclain-china-playing-major-role-in-enriching-cartels-funding-deadly-fentanyl-epidemic/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> the U.S. would establish regional processing centers for immigrants seeking entry to reduce the number of arrivals after the restrictions end.
&#8220;Our border is not open and will not be open after May 11,&#8221; Mayorkas said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
MAYORKAS: &quot;Our border is not open and will not be open after May 11th.&quot;
More than 6.3 million illegal immigrants have crossed the southern border since Biden took office. <a href="https://t.co/7jAN8wyW9c">pic.twitter.com/7jAN8wyW9c</a>
&mdash; RNC Research (@RNCResearch) <a href="https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/1651620516573204480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2023</a></blockquote>
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HEALTH-US-DRUGS-FENTANYL-CHINA-MEXICO

Biden Authorizes DOD To Deploy Personnel To Border As International Drug Trafficking Crisis Intensifies

Biden Administration

Department of Defense

Department of Homeland Security

Medical examiners in Texas have concluded that former Disney executive Dave Hollis, ex-husband of famous self-help author Rachel Hollis, died earlier this year from a fatal overdose of a trio of drugs.
The Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office said in its autopsy report that Hollis, who died in February at 47-years-old, &#8220;had fatal amounts of cocaine, fentanyl and alcohol in his system when he died at his home outside Austin, Texas,&#8221; NBC News <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/dave-hollis-cause-of-death-overdose-rcna81265" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
Hollis left Disney in 2018 to work with his wife&#8217;s media company. The two divorced in 2020.
&#8220;He had a history of hypertension, depression, illicit drug use, and alcohol abuse,&#8221; the autopsy report says.
The report added that he had hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, which leads to the &#8220;narrowing and hardening of vessels that supply blood to the heart.&#8221;
Following his death, Rachel Hollis posted on social media that the family was devastated over his passing.
&#8220;I have no words and my heart is too broken to find them,&#8221; she said. &#8220;Please wrap the kids up in prayers as we try to navigate through the unthinkable.&#8221;
Hollis <a href="https://www.christianpost.com/news/christian-author-dave-hollis-died-of-accidental-overdose.html">told</a> The Christian Post in 2021 that 2020 was “hardest year” of his life, “outpacing any other year by a factor of 100” because of his divorce.
“There is, for every single one of us, a very intentional purpose that our Creator has placed us on this planet for, and our work in this life we have is to do everything we can, every single day, to honor the intention of that Creator,” he said at the time.
“But doing that work, finding a way to step closer to our purpose or honor that intention, is something that requires courage, because it often requires leaving what we&#8217;ve known for what we need; transitioning from who we were to who we&#8217;re becoming,&#8221; he said. &#8220;That can be uncomfortable both for us and can make the people who have become accustomed to who we&#8217;ve been uncomfortable as we grow into who we were meant to be.&#8221;
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/officials-release-cause-of-death-for-ufc-hall-of-famer">Officials Release Cause Of Death For UFC Hall Of Famer</a>

CinemaCon 2017 – CinemaCon 2017 The Walt Disney Studios Invites You To Its 2017 Presentation Including A Special Screening Of “Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales”

Former Disney Executive Dies From Overdose On Trio Of Drugs

Disney

Officials in Nevada have reportedly concluded that <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ufc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UFC</a> Hall of Fame fighter Stephan Bonnar died in December from an accidental fentanyl overdose. He was 45 years old.
MMA Fighting <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/2023/4/24/23696756/coroner-stephan-bonnar-ufc-hall-of-famer-died-of-accidental-fentanyl-overdose" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that the Clark County Coroner’s Office ruled Bonnar’s death accidental from “Fentanyl, Parafluorofentanyl and Mitragynine intoxication,” according to an email sent to the publication after it filed a public records request.
The report added that Bonnar had discussed his use of oxycodone in an interview with the publication back in 2021, saying that he took a legally prescribed regimen to battle pain from long-term injuries.
The coroner&#8217;s office did not provide any further information about Bonnar&#8217;s death due to HIPAA laws, the report said.
Parafluorofentanyl is a schedule I illicit fentanyl analog that is &#8220;likely similar&#8221; in potency to illicitly manufactured fentanyl, according to the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/wr/mm7139a3.htm#F1_down" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CDC</a>.
The third compound detected in Bonnar&#8217;s body, Mitragynine, has been linked to unintentional drug overdoses, according to the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/68/wr/mm6814a2.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CDC</a>. Also known as &#8220;Kratom,&#8221; the substance produces stimulant and opioid-like effects.
Fentanyl is at the heart of the drug overdose problem the U.S. is currently battling as Mexican drug cartels flood the market with the highly potent substance. Fentanyl is 100 times more powerful than morphine and 50 times more powerful than heroin, according to the <a href="https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&amp;rls=en&amp;q=fentanyl&amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;oe=UTF-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DEA</a>.
MMA Fighting noted that the death of Bellator fighter Jordan Young, who died in December 2021, was also ruled as &#8220;acute fentanyl and alprazolam intoxication.&#8221;
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Earlier this month, the Los Angeles County medical examiner <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/medical-examiner-releases-official-cause-of-death-for-famed-rapper-coolio" target="_blank" rel="noopener">revealed</a> that famed rapper Coolio, who died at 59 years old late last September in Los Angeles, passed away from the effects of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/fentanyl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fentanyl</a>, heroin, and methamphetamine.
The rapper, whose real name is Artis Leon Ivey Jr., died while visiting a friend after he went to use the bathroom and did not come back for a while, prompting the friend to go looking for him.
The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/06/us/coolio-death-cause-fentanyl.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that there were other “significant conditions” that contributed to his death, including asthma and cardiomyopathy. Coolio had battled drug addiction throughout his adult life, the report said.

UFC Fan Expo Las Vegas 2013

Officials Release Cause Of Death For UFC Hall Of Famer

Officials Release Cause Of Death For UFC Hall Of Famer Stephan Bonnar

Celebrities

Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/gavin-newsom" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gavin Newsom</a> (D-CA) directed the state National Guard and California Highway Patrol to help in the fight against fentanyl trafficking in San Francisco.
As part of a new partnership, the agencies are tasked with identifying personnel and resources to assist San Francisco following a <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/drug-overdose-deaths-2023-17904060.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">41% spike in fentanyl overdose deaths</a> in the first few months of this year.
“We are providing more law enforcement resources and personnel to crack down on crime linked to the fentanyl crisis, holding the poison peddlers accountable, and increasing law enforcement presence to improve public safety and public confidence in San Francisco,&#8221; <a href="https://www.gov.ca.gov/2023/04/21/public-safety-partnership-sf/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Newsom said</a> in a statement on Friday.
Newsom&#8217;s office said the collaboration, which also includes the San Francisco Police Department and and the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, will be focused on drug suppliers and traffickers rather than seeking to criminalize those struggling with substance abuse in a city that has recorded <a href="https://sf.gov/sites/default/files/2023-01/2023%2001_OCME%20Overdose%20Report.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">several hundred</a> <a href="https://abc7news.com/sf-overdose-fentanyl-tranq-narcan/13096367/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">accidental overdose deaths</a> annually in recent years.
The agreement will &#8220;lead to the formation of a new collaborative operation between all four agencies focused on dismantling fentanyl trafficking and disrupting the supply of the deadly drug in the city by holding the operators of large-scale drug trafficking operations accountable,&#8221; the governor&#8217;s office said.
Newsom paid a visit on Wednesday to San Francisco, a city he once led as mayor, and surveyed the Tenderloin neighborhood, which has been hit hard by <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/gov-newsom-makes-surprise-visit-to-san-franciscos-crime-ridden-tenderloin-neighborhood/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">crime and the fentanyl crisis</a>. The trip took place a couple weeks after San Francisco Mayor London Breed requested federal assistance to arrest and prosecute drug dealers while the city contends with a short-staffed police department, according to <a href="https://abc7news.com/mayor-london-breed-sf-drug-crisis-san-francisco-opioid-epidemic-police-staffing-tenderloin-drugs/13067352/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">local ABC affiliate KGO</a>.
“I want to thank Governor Newsom for this critical support to help break up the open-air drug dealing happening in our city,” Breed said in a statement Friday. &#8220;Our Police Department and District Attorney have been partnering to tackle this issue and increase enforcement, but our local agencies can use more support. With the Governor’s leadership and clear direction, our state enforcement agencies can partner with us to make a difference for our residents, businesses, and workers who are living with the impacts every day.&#8221;
During Newsom&#8217;s visit to Tenderloin, activist JJ Smith pressed the governor on what he is doing to stop the fentanyl crisis, <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/gov-newsom-makes-surprise-visit-to-san-franciscos-crime-ridden-tenderloin-neighborhood/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to CBS News Bay Area</a>. JJ Smith recalled Newsom saying he is working on the issue, a response which the activist felt was inadequate.
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&#8220;They&#8217;re so busy worried about giving them a safe place to use drugs,&#8221; Smith said. &#8220;Why not find out let&#8217;s give them a safe place to get off drugs.&#8221;
Newsom, who is widely seen as a top future presidential contender for the Democrats, says he has already invested more than $1 billion to tackle the opioid and fentanyl crisis in California. His new budget request seeks another <a href="https://www.gov.ca.gov/2023/03/20/master-plan-for-tackling-the-fentanyl-and-opioid-crisis/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$96 million in funding</a> to tackle the problem.

Governor Gavin Newsom

Newsom Directs National Guard To Combat San Francisco’s Fentanyl Crisis

Newsom Directs National Guard To Combat San Francisco's Fentanyl Crisis

California

Crime

Gavin Newsom

National Guard

San Francisco

Famed rapper Coolio, who died at 59 years old late last September in Los Angeles, passed away from the effects of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/fentanyl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fentanyl</a>, heroin, and methamphetamine, according to the Los Angeles County medical examiner.
The rapper, whose real name is Artis Leon Ivey Jr., died while visiting a friend after he went to use the bathroom and did not come back for a while, prompting the friend to go looking for him.
The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/06/us/coolio-death-cause-fentanyl.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that there were other “significant conditions” that contributed to his death, including asthma and cardiomyopathy. Coolio had battled drug addiction throughout his adult life, the report said.
<a href="https://www.tmz.com/2023/04/06/coolio-cause-death-dead-dies-fentanyl-heroin-meth-legacy/">TMZ</a> reported that Coolio&#8217;s kids — Brandi, Jackie, Melan, Christopher, Artis III, Darius, and Artisha — are planning to make documentaries and films to honor their father.
Fentanyl is a powerful opioid that is 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin. Tens of thousands of Americans die of fentanyl overdoses every year.
“We are saddened by the loss of our dear friend and client, Coolio, who passed away this afternoon,” Coolio’s manager, Sheila Finegan, said in a statement to <a href="https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2022-09-28/rapper-coolio-dead-obituary">The Los Angeles Times</a> after his passing. “He touched the world with the gift of his talent and will be missed profoundly.”
“Thank you to everyone worldwide who has listened to his music and to everyone who has been reaching out regarding his passing,” she added. “Please have Coolio’s loved ones in your thoughts and prayers.”
Coolio went from growing up in tough conditions in Compton, California, to becoming a Grammy award-winning and multi-platinum recording artist, selling more than 17 million records worldwide.
Perhaps his most famous song was “Gangsta’s Paradise,” which helped launch him toward the top of the rap music scene.
Coolio’s website noted that the song won a Grammy Award in 1996 for Best Rap Performance, Solo, and that it was featured on the “Dangerous Minds” soundtrack and movie.
The song “was also nominated for a Grammy for Best Song of the Year and it sold over six million copies and was Billboard Magazine’s number one single in 1995,” his site said. “The world recognition led to his music being featured Coolio for several major motion pictures including: Space Jam, Clueless, The Big Payback, Panther, New Jersey Drive, The Jerk Boys, Eddie, Half Baked and many more. He also composed the theme song for the popular kids TV series KENAN on Nickelodeon.”

Coolio

Medical Examiner Releases Official Cause Of Death For Famed Rapper Coolio

Music

Rap Music

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has written to officials in China requesting Beijing’s help in stemming the flow of fentanyl into Mexico.
Lopez Obrador said at a news conference that he had written the Chinese after U.S. officials encouraged him to reach out to Beijing in a recent visit. The Mexican president also struck out at the U.S., according to the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/mexico-fentanyl-lopez-obrador-china-694a4b5c0ed67d5c9ac828ef956416bb" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Associated Press</a>.
He complained about the U.S. in his letter and the “rude threats” coming from U.S. officials to classify Mexican drug cartels as terror groups.
“We come to you, President Xi Jinping, not to ask for your support in the face of these rude threats, but to request that for humanitarian reasons, you help us control shipments of fentanyl that can be sent from China to our country,” Lopez Obrador said, quoting from his letter to the Chinese.
“Unjustly, they are blaming us for problems that in large measure have to do with their loss of values, their welfare crisis,” he wrote. “These positions are in themselves a lack of respect and a threat to our sovereignty, and moreover they are based on an absurd, manipulative, propagandistic and demagogic attitude.”
In past remarks, Lopez Obrador was insistent that no fentanyl ripping through U.S. communities is produced in Mexico. Last month, Lopez Obrador <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mexicos-president-blames-american-families-for-fentanyl-crisis-lack-of-love-hugs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">blamed</a> the U.S. drug problem on a “lack of hugs.”
“There is a lot of disintegration of families, there is a lot of individualism, there is a lack of love, of brotherhood, of hugs and embraces,” López Obrador said. “That is why they (U.S. officials) should be dedicating funds to address the causes.”
Millions of dollars-worth of pills laced with fentanyl are trafficked into the U.S. from Mexico each year, according to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). Much of that comes from drug labs run by two of Mexico’s most violent and influential cartels, the Sinaloa and the New Generation Jalisco.
Although the cartels run the drug trade across the border, most of the fentanyl that run through cartel labs <a href="https://www.dallasnews.com/news/crime/2023/03/23/how-fentanyl-journeys-from-china-to-mexico-to-north-texas/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">comes</a> from China. Chinese drug companies ship massive amounts of fentanyl precursor drugs to cartels in Mexico where the cartels press the drug into pills that mimic the look of medication. For example, the pills are often dyed blue and made to look like oxycontin.
Many overdose deaths from fentanyl in the U.S. happen to people who are not even aware that they are taking fentanyl-laced pills.
The United States and Mexico are <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/fentanyl-gun-smuggling-us-mexico-border-deal-rcna75782" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> nearing a deal to crack down on drugs flowing north across the border. In return, U.S. law enforcement will crack down on guns flowing south.

Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador

Mexico Requests Beijing’s Help In Curbing Drug Trade, Smacks U.S.

China

Mexico

United States

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved the first over-the-counter Narcan nasal spray to reduce drug overdose deaths driven by illicit opioids amid an ongoing epidemic largely fueled by the southern border crisis.
Federal officials approved Narcan, a naloxone hydrochloride nasal spray for over-the-counter, nonprescription use, as drug overdoses continue to plague the U.S, citing more than 101,750 people who died in a 12-month time frame from overdosing primarily on synthetic opioids like illicit fentanyl.
“Naloxone is a critical tool in addressing opioid overdoses and today’s approval underscores the extensive efforts the agency has undertaken to combat the overdose crisis,” Patrizia Cavazzoni, M.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a <a href="https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-first-over-counter-naloxone-nasal-spray">news release</a>.
Cavazzoni said that federal officials would work with sponsors seeking to market such nonprescription naloxone products, including through a [prescription] to OTC switch, and encourage manufacturers to contact the agency as early as possible to initiate discussions.
According to the FDA, manufacturers of Narcan must change the labeling for generic naloxone nasal spray products. They will be required to submit a supplement to their applications to receive over-the-counter approval.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 107,735 Americans died between August 2021 and August 2022 from drug poisonings, with 66% of those deaths involving synthetic opioids like fentanyl, according to the news release.
The Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/article/naloxone-narcan-overdose-availability-ec12f62eef12ebc67de77afdbb6f11b9">reported</a> harm reduction groups have been urging the federal government to use federal funds to buy naloxone since 2016, while state officials have ordered pharmacies to sell it to customers, even without prescriptions.
Last month, Los Angeles Unified School District officials announced students could soon carry Narcan nasal spray at school in case of an opioid overdose.
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A report showed 92% of teens who died from drug overdoses in 2021 tested positive for fentanyl in Los Angeles County, with 31 directly related to the deadly opioid.
The Drug Enforcement Administration said last December that the agency seized enough fentanyl in 2022 to kill every American citizen. Officials said the DEA had confiscated some 50.6 million fake prescription pills laced with fentanyl and more than 10,000 pounds of fentanyl powder with two weeks left in the calendar year 2022.
That amounts to more than 379 million lethal doses of fentanyl last year, more than enough to kill all 333 million people in the United States.
DEA authorities blamed the vast majority of fentanyl trafficked into the United States on the Sinaloa Cartel and Jalisco Cartel in Mexico, which primarily source the chemicals from China.

Forum to Address the Fentanyl  Issues at Northwood High School

FDA Approves First Over-The-Counter Narcan Nasal Spray Amid Ongoing Opioid Crisis

FDA Approves First Over-The-Counter Naloxone Nasal Spray Amid Ongoing Opioid Epidemic

Opioid Crisis

Dozens of deaths across New York have involved a flesh-eating deadly &#8220;zombie&#8221; drug used to sedate animals dubbed “Tranq,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said on Sunday.
Tranq, formally known as Xylazine — particularly when mixed with fentanyl — has been trending in the U.S., causing federal officials to warn Americans of the alarming widespread threat it poses to the public. Commonly known as the tranq or zombie drug by traffickers, the substance reportedly causes an extended euphoric feeling and is commonly used as a pharmaceutical drug to sedate animals. However, human use can result in severe wounds — including necrosis of the affected tissue — that could potentially lead to amputation.
Schumer told reporters during a press conference that the drug has spread from Syracuse, Albany, Rochester, and Greater New York City, calling on federal authorities to fund efforts and deploy a control team to stop the drug from being distributed.
“This new drug is a nightmare,” Schumer said, according to <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/03/26/new-york-seeing-tranq-drug-related-deaths-schumer/">The New York Post</a>. “Xylazine is dangerous. It is deadly. It is here. We have to fight and fund.”
The National Institute of Drug Abuse labels Xylazine as a non-opioid veterinary tranquilizer linked to the increasing number of overdose deaths nationwide, most related to Xylazine and fentanyl and additional deadly substances.
Dr. Mike Varshavski, a licensed physician and YouTuber known as Doctor Mike, reportedly joined Schumer during the press conference, echoing recent federal warnings about the deadly zombie-like drug.
“We saw tremendous negative side effects this drug had, including respiratory depression, essentially shutting off the drive to continue breathing,” Varshavski said.
Last week, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) seized fentanyl mixed with a Tranq in 48 states, warning the American public of a widespread threat.
“Xylazine is making the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced, fentanyl, even deadlier,” Administrator Anne Milgram <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fentanyl-mixed-with-animal-sedatives-found-48-states-dea-warns">said</a> in a news release.
Milgram said the DEA Laboratory System reported approximately 23% of fentanyl powder and 7% of fentanyl pills seized by the DEA contained Xylazine in 2022.
Between 2015 and 2020, the Northeastern region of the U.S. saw the largest impact from overdose deaths involving Xylazine, with Pennsylvania increasing from 2% of overdose deaths to nearly 26%. Maryland reported 19% of all drug overdoses in 2021 involved Xylazine and 10% in Connecticut in 2020.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 107,735 Americans died between August 2021 and August 2022 from drug poisonings, with 66% of those deaths involving synthetic opioids like fentanyl, according to the news release.
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DEA authorities blamed the vast majority of fentanyl trafficked into the United States on the Sinaloa Cartel and Jalisco Cartel in Mexico, which primarily source the chemicals from China.
Schumer introduced a plan last week to combat the increasing number of Tranq users, which would authorize the Food and Drug Administration to track down the drug and spend $537 million for law enforcement and more on drug tests. The plan would be paid for with grant funding for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, local media <a href="https://www.news10.com/news/local-news/sen-chuck-schumer-law-enforcement-warn-against-new-drug-being-mixed-with-fentanyl/">reported</a>.
“If we can launch all three of these approaches, the chances of Xylazine becoming the kind of scourge that it has in other places has decreased greatly,” Schumer said.

Senators Meet For Their Weekly Policy Luncheons

Dozens Of Deaths Across New York Involved ‘Zombie’ Drug, Schumer Says

Dozens Of Deaths Across New York Involved 'Zombie' Drug, Schumer Says

Chuck Schumer

New York

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) seized a massive <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/mexico" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mexican</a> shipment of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/fentanyl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fentanyl</a> earlier this week — over 1,500 miles north of the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/southern-border" target="_blank" rel="noopener">southern border</a>. 
Federal agents just outside of Detroit snagged 20 kilograms, over 40 pounds, of the deadly drug as it was in transit to the Motor City from Grand Rapids, The Detroit Free Press <a href="https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2023/03/24/fentanyl-seizure-dea-michigan/70045815007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. The DEA said that the fentanyl was produced in Mexico before making its way to Grand Rapids and then being transported to Detroit. 
“Drug cartels like CJNG and Sinaloa attempt to flood our communities with illicit drugs,” Detroit&#8217;s DEA Chief Orville Greene said in a statement Friday. “We will continue to work vigorously to identify other associates tied to the delivery of this fentanyl that would have caused untold suffering had it reached its intended destination.”
A mere 2 mg of fentanyl can be deadly, which means the 20 kilograms seized in Michigan would be enough to kill 10 million people, nearly the exact population of the Great Lakes State. After a tip from investigators on the west side of the state, federal agents along with local authorities in Metro Detroit arrested a woman from Ohio who was allegedly delivering the shipment of the drug, which was in powder form. Authorities seized a gun along with the fentanyl, according to the Free Press.  
 “Just because you’re not situated on the southern border doesn’t mean your community is not affected and doesn’t mean that people are not dying from it,” Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard <a href="https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2023/03/25/dea-achieves-biggest-bust-in-state-history-after-seizing-20-kilograms-of-fentanyl-in-oakland-county/?utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=snd&amp;utm_content=wdiv4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. 
Last month, enough fentanyl to kill 50 million people was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/massive-fentanyl-shipment-enough-to-kill-50-million-people-seized-in-california" target="_blank" rel="noopener">seized</a> by Border Patrol at the southern California border. That shipment of fentanyl also came from Mexico and was likely either smuggled across the border through a vehicle or on foot by drug mules.  
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mexicos-president-blames-american-families-for-fentanyl-crisis-lack-of-love-hugs">recently denied</a> that fentanyl is produced in his country, but <a href="https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2020-03/DEA_GOV_DIR-008-20%20Fentanyl%20Flow%20in%20the%20United%20States_0.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), Mexican transnational criminal organizations are “increasingly producing wholesale quantities of illicit fentanyl pills and smuggling them into the United States.” The DEA said that Mexico’s two largest cartels, the Sinaloa and the New Generation Jalisco, “are likely the primary trafficking groups responsible for smuggling fentanyl into the United States from Mexico.”
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The DEA <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/train-caught-at-border-transporting-over-700000-fentanyl-pills" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that 50.6 million fake prescription pills laced with fentanyl and 10,000 pounds of fentanyl powder had been found in the U.S. last year. More than 70,000 Americans died from fentanyl overdoses in 2021 alone.

Drug Enforcement Agency

Feds Seize Mexican Fentanyl Shipment In Michigan — Enough To Kill Nearly Everyone In The State

DEA Seizes Massive Mexican Fentanyl Shipment In Michigan 

Michigan

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) said Monday that authorities seized <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/fentanyl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fentanyl</a> mixed with a pharmaceutical drug used to sedate animals in 48 states, warning the American public of a widespread threat.
Authorities said in a public safety alert that the agency confiscated Xylazine, also known as &#8220;tranq,&#8221; and fentanyl mixtures, which could cause severe wounds, including necrosis that may lead to amputation.
&#8220;Xylazine is making the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced, fentanyl, even deadlier,&#8221; Administrator Anne Milgram said in a <a href="https://www.dea.gov/alert/dea-reports-widespread-threat-fentanyl-mixed-xylazine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">news release</a>.
Milgram said the DEA Laboratory System reported approximately 23% of fentanyl powder and 7% of fentanyl pills seized by the DEA contained Xylazine in 2022.
The National Institute of Drug Abuse labels Xylazine as a non-opioid veterinary tranquilizer that has been linked to the increasing number of overdose deaths nationwide.
“Research has shown Xylazine is often added to illicit opioids, including fentanyl, and people report using xylazine-containing fentanyl to lengthen its euphoric effects,&#8221; the institute&#8217;s <a href="https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/xylazine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">website</a> reads. &#8220;Most overdose deaths linked to both xylazine and fentanyl also involved additional substances, including cocaine, heroin, benzodiazepines, alcohol, gabapentin, methadone, and prescription opioids.&#8221;
Between 2015 and 2020, the Northeastern region of the U.S. saw the largest impact from overdose deaths involving Xylazine, with Pennsylvania increasing from 2% of overdose deaths nearly 26%. Maryland reported 19% of all drug overdoses in 2021 involved Xylazine, and 10% in Connecticut in 2020.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 107,735 Americans died between August 2021 and August 2022 from drug poisonings, with 66% of those deaths involving synthetic opioids like fentanyl, according to the news release.
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Authorities said experts always recommend administering naloxone if someone might be overdosing on drugs, although Narcan does not reverse effects on non-opioids.
DEA authorities blamed the vast majority of fentanyl trafficked into the United States on the Sinaloa Cartel and Jalisco Cartel in Mexico, which primarily source the chemicals from China.
The federal agency&#8217;s latest public safety announcement comes nearly two years after its last one when authorities warned the public about increases in the lethality and availability of fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills, which was further updated to say that six out of ten fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills contain a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl.

US-ADDICTION-DRUGS-FENTANYL

Fentanyl Mixed With Animal Sedatives Found 48 States, DEA Warns

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