FENTANYL AWARENESS OUTREACH CAMPAIGN BEGINS

District Attorney Jill Ravitch announced today that The Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office along with the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Program (“HIDTA”) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), have begun a joint community outreach campaign to educate the community on the dangers of fentanyl. As part of the campaign, informational billboards will be displayed throughout the county, and a website has been created with links to law enforcement agencies as well as resources for those dealing with addiction. www.soco-onepillcankill.com

District Attorney Ravitch stated, “Fentanyl use is at epidemic proportions in our community. Many overdose on this toxic drug without knowing its presence, and many are battling to overcome opioid addiction. We hope that this outreach effort will help to locate the dealers who are spreading this poison, as well as offer educational resources to families and others about the dangerous nature of the drug.”

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 107,375 people in the United States died of drug overdoses and drug poisonings in the 12-month period ending in January 2022. Sixty-seven percent of those deaths involved synthetic opioids like fentanyl. In 2021, there were 109 fentanyl deaths in Sonoma County. So far in 2022 there have been 63 fentanyl deaths in Sonoma County. Some of these deaths resulted from fentanyl being mixed with other illicit drugs such as cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, and counterfeit prescription pills such as Xanax. Fentanyl is a highly addictive and deadly drug. If you or someone you know has information about the unlawful sales and distribution of fentanyl in Sonoma County, please contact law enforcement. If you or someone you know is battling fentanyl or opioid addiction, treatment is available.