Surge in Fentanyl Laced Heroin Threatens Responders

CNRB suits are recommended in
crime scenes involving fentanyl exposure
(US Navy photo)

As prescription drugs have become harder to obtain and harder to get a high from, opioid addicts have been turning to heroin, both in Indian Country and throughout the nation. This demand has inspired Mexican cartels and other drug traffickers to start cutting the heroin they distribute with fentanyl. Fentanyl is a legal, but very dangerous drug that has legitimate use as a painkilling analgesic. It's 80-100 times more potent than morphine, and as little as 0.7 nanograms (one billionth of a gram) is enough to cause death in a user, especially combined with other drugs. The potency of the drug seems like a boon to manufacturers, but in reality, it's difficult to reduce pure fentanyl to levels safe for ingestion. The DEA, who recently issued an urgent warning about fentanyl and fentanyl analogues,  estimated a single seizure of 5800 grams of fentanyl prevented some 46 million doses from hitting the street.
The upper threshold for lethal exposure is 2 milligrams, and can be absorbed by the skin, in the air, in food or in water. In general, only laboratory testing can establish the presence of fentanyl in heroin, making it even more dangerous for law enforcement responding to a crime scene.

The CDC recommends a minimum of coveralls, boots and gloves when responding to an area where the concentration of fentanyl is known to be below the level of acceptable exposure, which is listed as "undetermined."  The CDC additionally recommends that responders wear full protective gear, including respirators and suits rated for chemical exposure, if the level of fentanyl contamination is unknown.

Tribal law enforcement faces a difficult balance of continuing to respond to emergency calls involving heroin use, distribution, and overdoses, and maintaining a safe distance until officer safety can be established. Police departments should stay on top of trends and note spiking trends in overdoses, which may indicate the presence of fentanyl in the supply chain. If the presence of fentanyl is suspected at a crime scene, serious precautions should be taken in investigating the area, collecting and transporting the evidence, decontaminating officers, victims and remains, and in testing the evidence.

The remedy for exposure to a toxic level of fentanyl is intravenous administration of naloxone. Just as some police departments are making naloxone kids part of standard issue equipment, the Blood Tribe of Canada is training tribal members to administer naloxone, as part of an effort to stem an epidemic of overdoses from fentanyl-laced drugs.

The Growing Threat of Fentanyl | Create infographics

Parents, Tribes Not Enthused About Legal Marijuana

Marijuana is legal for recreational use in two states and for medical use in 19 states plus Washington DC (as of this writing).  Investors are excited about opportunities to create a "clean American brand" for legal marijuana, and to invest in marijuana-laced edibles, a fast-growing sector. But lots of people from tribal governments to parents, are worried about the effects of legal marijuana.

Tribes can pass laws to decriminalize marijuana, but so far most tribes firmly oppose marijuana use on tribal land, even though legalization has created something of a jurisdictional nightmare for tribal police. Tribal members can use legal or medical marijuana outside tribal borders but not on tribal lands. In the absence of specific laws prohibiting use, non-Indians can use medical marijuana on tribal lands without fear of reprisal, since the Justice Department is refraining from prosecuting medical users.

However, that hasn't stopped the Salt River Maricopa-Pima Indian Community from seizing vehicles driven by state-licensed medical marijuana patients. The tribe released a statement saying,"People who transport drugs in any jurisdiction face the possibility that they will be arrested, prosecuted, and that the vehicles they use to transport drugs may be seized." The Northern Cheyenne Tribe refused an exemption for a medical marijuana user awaiting trial. Some tribes are even going head to head with states over local prohibitions against marijuana dispensaries. Other tribes, like the Navajo Nation (which lies in two medical marijuana states), are still debating decriminalization. The tax advantage of selling legal marijuana would benefit Washington tribes in the same way that tobacco sales do, which might be more appealing if tribes weren't so thoroughly tired of cartels running grow operations on tribal lands.

Tribal officials aren't the only one who want to put the brakes on legalization. A survey of parents in Washington and Colorado show that although a majority of parents support legalization, they want to ensure that legal marijuana stays out of the hands of children, and is not advertised or used in places where children can see it. Poison control experts who sounded an alarm about the dangers of children ingesting medical marijuana have advocated in favor of childproof containers, and education programs that advise parents to treat medical marijuana the way they would any prescription drug-- secured and away from kids.

For more about issues with prescription drugs and drug endangered children in Indian Country, join us at our upcoming two-day training in Spokane, WA!

Top Ten Ways to Control Pain Without Drugs

No one wants to live with pain from injury or from chronic conditions like rheumatoid arthritis or back pain, yet the Institute of Medicine estimates 116 million adults suffer chronic pain. An injury that causes chronic pain can be hard to live with, but it's even harder to be dependent on painkillers to get through your day.

Prescription pain pills are not only addictive and a leading cause of overdoses, they are expensive and getting harder to obtain. As a result, many people who have developed opioid addictions are turning to heroin. Before you accept a prescription from your doctor, consider using some of these tried and true natural remedies:

1) Diet: add foods with anti-inflammatory properties, like tumeric, fish oil, olives and olive oil, tart cherries, ginger, red peppers.

2) Alternating heat and cold: use compresses on sore or spasming muscles.

3) Stress reduction: use yoga, tai chi, meditation or similar techniques to gently exercise your body and control pain.

4) Massage: massage therapists take different techniques to treating different conditions or injuries, so ask around to find one who can help you.

 5) Soaking: a hot bath is a good start, but you can add mineral salts (kelp or red seaweed is ideal) and essential oils (like rosemary or holy basil) to amplify the healing effects.

6) Topical herbs: depending on your condition, you might find relief from arnica or capsaicin cream.

7) Physical and occupational therapy: regular guided therapy can relieve pain associated with a sports injury and restore strength and range of motion.

8) Chiropractic care: this method of treatment can be helpful after a traumatic accident or sports injury.

9) Supplements: glucosamine, MSM, chondroitin, white willow bark, devil's claw or boswellia can be used as directed by a natural health care practitioner.

10) Alternative medicine: patients report results from techniques including biofeedback, hypnosis, acupuncture, acupressure and relaxation techniques. If you would like to learn more about the prescription painkiller to heroin connection, sign up for our FREE webinar on this subject or one of our regional sessions to learn more about this connection.

Teens Getting High On "Weed Candy"

Medical and legal marijuana has led to a growth industry for THC-laden food products, including a range of candy bars, lollipops, gummy candies, chocolates and hard candies that have been finding their way into the hands—and mouths—of school children. Police from Florida to Oregon, through Texas and the Midwest, have been reporting the growing trend. States near Washington and Colorado have also been reporting a sharp increase in drug arrests that also net quantities of marijuana-laced candy. The candy sells on the street for as little as a dollar a piece, but also sells briskly at as much $10 a piece. Some of the candy is made for sale in legal dispensaries, and is packaged to look like common brands of candy.

Other areas are reporting the use of weed candy that is cooked up at home, out of simple ingredients like corn syrup and powdered drink mix. Some kids attempt to make it themselves, but others buy from dealers who make the candy with dangerously concentrated THC, synthetic THC or other unregulated ingredients. The odorless candy can pack a serious punch and seriously impair driving, not to mention ability to learn anything.

In an effort to combat the appeal of marijuana for kids, Georgia has banned the sale of marijuana-flavored candy to minors, but a national measure to ban marketing controlled substances to minors died in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Parents and police are being advised that even if weed candy hasn't hit your area yet, it's a matter of time. Parents and school officials can watch for unwrapped candy, candy with strange brand names, and the classic signs of marijuana use like slurred words or slowed motor control. Parents can also monitor their kids' Internet history to see if they've been researching DIY recipes.

Minnesota Tribes Battling Flood of Heroin

Read the whole story at Indian Country Today Media Network. The news from the Minnesota tribes is grim, but there are solutions to be found in education and community coalitions that battle this problem, starting with preventing and treating prescription painkiller addiction.  Besides destroying the user's life and health, heroin use results in increased crime, HIV and hepatitis infections, and children living in filthy and dangerous environments. Tribes are working with county, state and federal officials to turn this around, but they also need help from all concerned community members, from caregivers to teachers and from health care workers to law enforcement officers and Tribal courts.

Dangerous New Drug Made from OTC Ingredients

We sounded the warning over a year ago that abuse of prescription painkillers would lead to an uptick in heroin addiction and unhappily, our predictions are coming through. Opiate addicts are turning to cheap Mexican heroin when they can no longer afford the prescription drugs. Seasoned drug enforcement officers predict that prices will slowly climb for the heroin. What will users do then?

The DEA is concerned that we might see the trend that has been horrifying Russians, just as they thought they had stemmed the tide of heroin from Kazakhstan and Afghanistan. Deprived of their drug of choice, heroin addicts are turning to a vile, but inexpensive, recipe of over-the-counter drugs and household chemicals called Krokodil. The street name for this morphine-analog comes from the common side effect of scaly green skin as the user's body rots from the inside out. Click below to see a disturbing video about how Krokodil has been destroying lives in Siberia. Let's not let it happen in Indian Country!

Upcoming Training Opportunity: Drugs of Abuse

Learn to recognize the signs of methamphetamine use, prescription drug and over the counter drug abuse, synthetic drug use or heroin use in tribal housing. In addition to identification, participants will learn effective abatement strategies.

Click on the link to learn more about our upcoming training in Scottsdale, AZ. This two day, interactive program is free for Indian Tribe or Tribal Housing Authority employees. Any other participants can register for $50. Click here to register online.

Rx Drug Take Back Day Nets 244 Tons

Americans turned in 488,395 pounds of prescription and over the counter drugs on Saturday to DEA agents nationwide. Removing these prescription medications from circulation cuts down on the potential for abuse and its catastrophic consequences.  All together, the Take Back events have collected over 1018 tons of prescription pills. We're making progress!

Prescription Drug Take-Back Day Saturday, September 29

Coming To A Site Near You

The best way not to become a party to prescription drug abuse is to avoid having drugs in the house that are unused or expired. Prescription and over the counter drugs should never be flushed or put down the drain, to avoid contaminating the water supply. Instead, they must be disposed of in an environmentally safe manner.

To make disposing of unused drugs easier, the DEA will be accepting any pills or liquids you have lying around your house, between 10 am and 2 pm on Monday, September 29. To find the nearest collection site, go to the DEA website to search by your zip code. You can also call 1-800-882-9539 for more information about the program.

September Newsletter: End the Cycle of Violence * Free Resources * Disaster Response * Support Native Business

Click here for the Lamar Associates-Indian Country Training September Newsletter. In this issue, you will find information on ending the cycle on domestic violence, news about upcoming training opportunities, CDC alerts, improving disaster response for tribes, free online training, and our featured Native business of the month.

Traditional Native Values: Saying No To Drugs

Social scientists from Arizona State University are making waves with their research on how spirituality and religion are leading factors in preventing urban Native youth from using drugs. As Indian Country Today reports, middle school children who have strong Christian or traditional Native traditions in their homes are more likely to reject offers to try a drug.

At Lamar Associates, we have appreciated for years how important it is to weave Native traditions and spirituality into all the work we do. Because Indian Country is who we are and what we do, our tailored training programs always honor this perspective. Our religions and spirituality and our sense of family and community are not only intertwined, but they are critical keys to healing our people, whether they are living on the reservation or in a city.

Great News from the DEA

The Drug Enforcement Agency announced today that they would be regulating 26 synthetic drugs under the Controlled Substances Act under Schedule I including several synthetic cannabinoids and the "2 C family" of hallucinogens that have been in the news recently.

We applaud all such actions on the part of the government, as it will clear up many jurisdictional issues with Indian Country smoke shops. However, as I pointed out not too long ago for Indian Country Today, when you start with 450 known compounds, banning some is a good start, but doesn't address the whole problem. A more comprehensive approach is to change the culture in which sales of these harmful chemicals can thrive, even when they're labeled "not for human consumption."