The Silent Killer: Tackling the Fentanyl Crisis in the Bay Area

Written by Victoria

Over the past couple of years, the drug Fentanyl has silently become one of the leading causes of drug overdoses across the country. According to Yale Medicine, Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is not only cheap to manufacture, but can also be made easily in a lab. It is also highly potent, ranging anywhere from 50-100 times stronger than prescription opioids. This, coupled with its affordability to manufacture makes fentanyl a goldmine for drug dealers. Typically, dealers mix fentanyl into other drugs like cocaine or heroin so their users are unaware that they are ingesting fentanyl. Because of its potency, even tiny amounts of fentanyl can kill. However, illicit drug dealers know that its potency will cause their clients to become highly addicted, and even at the expense of lost lives, they continue to prioritize their profit over everything.

​Growing up in the Bay Area, I knew of far too many kids who had died of fentanyl poisoning. With each story I heard, I grew more and more devastated. I could not understand how these heartless drug dealers were continuing to willingly murder innocent people. According to The SF Chronicle, 2023 surpassed 2020 as the deadliest year for overdose deaths with a total of 811 lives lost in San Francisco. I am deeply concerned by the impact this crisis has left on my community. I understand that this is a complex issue and that there are many social determinants of health that play into the problem, meaning that not one single solution will be able to solve this. The fentanyl crisis is an urgent issue and every minute counts.

I believe that we must take a multifaceted approach, using both the government and society-wide methods to tackle this epidemic. I think it is imperative that we increase the range and accessibility of evidence based treatment and recovery services available in our communities. For example, American Progress suggests expanding access to naloxone, an overdose reversal agent, and test strips for fentanyl. I believe this would help save many lives as people could take preventative measures and in the event of an overdose, naloxone could reverse its effects. Aside from these more immediate measures, I also believe that the government needs to strengthen their border security to ensure that drugs cannot be smuggled in and out of the US. American Progress suggests that the United States invest in scanning technology and heavier security at ports of entry to ensure that illegal drugs cannot be trafficked. This would curb the amount of illicit drugs in the United States and make them a lot less accessible to people, which is a big part of the problem.

Moreover, I think that our government needs to implement outreach programs and support groups for people struggling with addiction. We need to focus on giving people spaces to heal and learn rather than criminalizing their addictions. In the Bay Area, there are many substance abuse resources available to people including free clinics offered through Haight Ashbury Clinics where they offer counseling, treatment, and codependency groups. Investing in more of these types of programs and making them accessible to everyone, no matter their socioeconomic background, would help people fully recover from their addictions and reintegrate them back into leading a healthy lifestyle. I also believe that it would be valuable to increase educational opportunities about the dangers of fentanyl in schools. Having representatives come visit schools and teach children about fentanyl and signs of an overdose could potentially save a life. Also, implementing programs in schools that can connect students to resources and distribute naloxone and test strips would be very valuable. According to CBS News, California has recently enacted “Melanie’s Law” which is designed to prevent fentanyl overdoses in public schools and trains school employees on opioid prevention. This law is a step in the right direction and if we can come together as a community to combat the fentanyl crisis, I am confident that we will make progress.

​It is understandable that California may be hesitant to implement these changes because of expense factors. However, I propose a reallocation of the state-wide budget to be aid in programs like I mentioned above. Also, naloxone is often distributed for free by anti-fentanyl organizations and is inexpensive to purchase. Overall, the fentanyl crisis is a pressing matter and must be addressed with the proper measures. Countless families are being affected by this crisis and you never know if yours could be next. We must come together as a community to create a safer, healthier, fentanyl-free environment for future generations. Every minute counts.