{"id":75934,"date":"2024-12-13T17:09:59","date_gmt":"2024-12-13T17:09:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tvbrazilusa.com\/2024\/12\/13\/latino-communities-mobilize-amid-a-rise-in-fentanyl-related-deaths\/"},"modified":"2024-12-13T17:21:33","modified_gmt":"2024-12-13T17:21:33","slug":"latino-communities-mobilize-amid-a-rise-in-fentanyl-related-deaths","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tvbrazilusa.com\/pt\/2024\/12\/13\/latino-communities-mobilize-amid-a-rise-in-fentanyl-related-deaths\/","title":{"rendered":"Latino communities mobilize amid a rise in fentanyl-related deaths"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-8864793242727901\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"WYLVCGL5QVB55LWSCA3KKDCJRE\"><b>Editor\u2019s note: <\/b><i>This story first appeared on <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.palabranahj.org\/index\"><i>palabra<\/i><\/a><i>, the digital news site by the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.<\/i><b> <\/b><i>It is part of our <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.palabranahj.org\/safe-to-learn\" title=\"https:\/\/www.palabranahj.org\/safe-to-learn\"><i>Safe to Learn<\/i><\/a><i> investigative series, exploring how communities define safety for their children and what those children need in order to develop their full potential in and out of the classroom.<\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"TMR4DXX45JDDRBAL5CGNDUXNTY\"><i>This story may contain scenes or references that could be triggering. If you or someone you know needs mental health support, please call the <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.samhsa.gov\/find-help\/988\/faqs\"><i>988 Suicide &#038; Crisis Lifeline<\/i><\/a><i> by dialing 988. Crisis counselors are available in English and Spanish, as well as for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. <\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"B5LBOPNDXRAOTAGHG6EU6YMZMI\"><b>By Aitana Vargas | Edited by Ruben Castaneda<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"RZR4P76VDFCFFJVOEH7UJMAU3I\">When 16-year-old Daniel Joseph Puerta-Johnson died of fentanyl poisoning at Children\u2019s Hospital Los Angeles in April 2020, his father, Jaime Puerta, was unaware of how pervasive fentanyl poisoning, overdoses and deaths had become among adults and youth nationwide. That year alone, this powerful, highly addictive synthetic drug \u2014 which is <a href=\"https:\/\/nida.nih.gov\/publications\/drugfacts\/fentanyl\">also legally prescribed for certain medical conditions<\/a> \u2014 and other <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/overdose-prevention\/about\/prescription-opioids.html\">opioids<\/a> were responsible for an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/nchs\/pressroom\/nchs_press_releases\/2022\/202205.htm\">estimated 74.8% of all 93,655 drug-related deaths in the U.S<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/nchs\/pressroom\/nchs_press_releases\/2024\/20240515.htm\">Three years later<\/a>, drug overdoses killed 107,543 people and fentanyl and other opioids were responsible for 75.4% of those.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"I2DKMER6ZJDDXHRJ2KWR3A3WDM\">While there is no guaranteed solution in sight, parents, school districts, local, state and federal government officials and legislators across the country are scrambling to find effective strategies to mitigate the death and societal destruction fentanyl is inflicting on families and communities nationwide.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"BEGNNGXJPFEENDP2ZIU4RKADHA\">Daniel\u2019s father feels authorities aren\u2019t doing enough. <\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"7XK2GLY3MZC7VILEH6FYIQABXI\">\u201cFentanyl poisoning is killing more people than suicide. It\u2019s killing more people than gun violence. It\u2019s killing more people than car accidents, but yet we\u2019re sitting here scratching our heads,\u201d says Puerta.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"article__image\">\n<div class=\"article__image-wrapper\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 500px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nj.com\/resizer\/v2\/WCJE2R6VANDPLOWNCY6PFBDTE4.jpg?auth=64e06f63dff472b579b70fd0b47a9db685c1125a26d8af20a511eb4fda256c0b&#038;width=500&#038;quality=90 500w\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 800px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nj.com\/resizer\/v2\/WCJE2R6VANDPLOWNCY6PFBDTE4.jpg?auth=64e06f63dff472b579b70fd0b47a9db685c1125a26d8af20a511eb4fda256c0b&#038;width=800&#038;quality=90 800w\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nj.com\/resizer\/v2\/WCJE2R6VANDPLOWNCY6PFBDTE4.jpg?auth=64e06f63dff472b579b70fd0b47a9db685c1125a26d8af20a511eb4fda256c0b&#038;width=1280&#038;quality=90 1280w\"\/><\/picture><figcaption class=\"article__image-caption\">\n<p class=\"article__mm-image-caption-text\">Jaime Puerta co-founded Victims of Illicit Drugs (VOID), a nonprofit that uplifts the Latino community in CA and the U.S. by going into schools to educate students about the dangers of drugs, at his home in Santa Clarita, California. Photo by Zaydee Sanchez for palabra<span class=\"article__mm-image-credit\">Palabra<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"DTC5243SXJBBBDIMVLUW6ZTLAI\">Available data confirms his assertion: 48,204 people died of <a href=\"https:\/\/injuryfacts.nsc.org\/home-and-community\/safety-topics\/guns\/\">gun-related deaths<\/a> in 2022, according to the National Safety Council\u2019s Injury Facts website. Of those, 56% were suicides. <a href=\"https:\/\/crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov\/Api\/Public\/ViewPublication\/813560\">Car accidents<\/a> killed 42,514 people and fentanyl overdoses amounted to 84,181<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dea.gov\/engage\/operation-engage-spokane\"> <\/a>that year, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/nchs\/pressroom\/nchs_press_releases\/2024\/20240515.htm\">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"4HNSQORY7NDF5AXWAA3UDGTWGE\">However, a September 2024<a href=\"https:\/\/publichealth.jhu.edu\/2024\/guns-remain-leading-cause-of-death-for-children-and-teens\"> report <\/a>by Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions, whose authors analyzed 2022 data, revealed that gun violence remains the <a href=\"https:\/\/publichealth.jhu.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/2024-09\/2022-cgvs-gun-violence-in-the-united-states.pdf\">leading cause of death<\/a> among U.S. children and teens up to 17 years old, as it has been since 2020. In just 2022, gun violence, which disproportionately affects Black youth, claimed the lives of 2,526 children and teens.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"JOLH4DJYB5CTTBHR2ERPT25ZLI\">Like gun violence, deaths caused by fentanyl are exacting an enormous toll on Latino parents. The statistics tell part of the story; they don\u2019t quantify the searing grief and the emotional toll such deaths have on parents and families who have lost a child or loved one to fentanyl. <\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"BF42OK3PVVD2FHWL5MLP2QUPWM\">It never occurred to Puerta that his son would become a statistic when doctors diagnosed him with severe depression and ADHD. \u201cHe was receiving medical treatment, doing well, and wasn\u2019t using alcohol and drugs,\u201d says Puerta. \u201cBut the pandemic hit, and we feel that, you know, it really put him in a very dark place.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"HUN7DOGGIRFA7EVXKK5DBWHUZI\">To escape isolation and darkness, Daniel turned to self-medication. He used Snapchat \u2014 which leaves no trace of conversations \u2014 to connect to a drug dealer, who sold him what looked like a legitimate Oxycodone pill. Unknown to the teen, it contained about six to eight milligrams of fentanyl, authorities said. That amount could kill up to four adults. For Daniel, that one pill was lethal. \u201cSo many children are dying through no fault of their own,\u201d Puerta says. \u201cThey die through deception.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"article__image\">\n<div class=\"article__image-wrapper\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 500px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nj.com\/resizer\/v2\/UTESLKS6FFD2DBHMCTEANGE6VU.jpg?auth=f14e3528fb5f2e47cdcdb755c7d57d18f844dbb026e09bcc897a1d43d013f107&#038;width=500&#038;quality=90 500w\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 800px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nj.com\/resizer\/v2\/UTESLKS6FFD2DBHMCTEANGE6VU.jpg?auth=f14e3528fb5f2e47cdcdb755c7d57d18f844dbb026e09bcc897a1d43d013f107&#038;width=800&#038;quality=90 800w\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nj.com\/resizer\/v2\/UTESLKS6FFD2DBHMCTEANGE6VU.jpg?auth=f14e3528fb5f2e47cdcdb755c7d57d18f844dbb026e09bcc897a1d43d013f107&#038;width=1280&#038;quality=90 1280w\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nj.com\/resizer\/v2\/UTESLKS6FFD2DBHMCTEANGE6VU.jpg?auth=f14e3528fb5f2e47cdcdb755c7d57d18f844dbb026e09bcc897a1d43d013f107&#038;width=500&#038;quality=90\" sizes=\"auto, 50vw\" fetchpriority=\"low\" alt=\"Fentanyl: Death through deception for Palabra\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"article__image-content\" height=\"600\" width=\"300\"\/><\/picture><figcaption class=\"article__image-caption\">\n<p class=\"article__mm-image-caption-text\">Daniel Joseph Puerta-Johnson\u2019s ashes are surrounded by pictures of the 16-year-old in his bedroom. Photo by Zaydee Sanchez for palabra<span class=\"article__mm-image-credit\">Palabra<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"R3KG3QU73ND3HF2B7Q7BDTXR54\">Counterfeit prescription pills, such as oxycodone, benzodiazepines and others, laced with fentanyl \u2014 known as blues or fentapills \u2014 can be deadly. A UCLA Health <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uclahealth.org\/news\/release\/about-22-high-school-age-adolescents-died-each-week\">report released<\/a> this year showed that, on average, 22 teenagers between 14 and 18 died each week in the U.S. in 2022.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"UVWLK4T66RD4HA2QBFCBSBOWYA\">Following Daniel\u2019s death, his father co-founded Victims of Illicit Drugs (<a href=\"https:\/\/stopthevoid.org\">VOID<\/a>), a nonprofit that uplifts the Latino community in California and the U.S. by going into schools to educate students about the dangers of drugs. One way it does this is by showing <i>Dead on Arrival<\/i>, a 21-minute documentary by Dominic Tierno and Christine Wood. The film, available in <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/iJgPmrLjkuo?si=4diY2C3HUrH4wYv7\">English<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/ix4l7yQfXf4?si=x-Bo7mqlTNdSZT0T\">Spanish<\/a>, recounts the stories of four families, including Puerta\u2019s, who have lost loved ones to fentanyl.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"TH6IPBW44ZDC3BTKBVFTLXIDNY\">Puerta strives to bring drug prevention information to students attending junior high schools and high schools in Los Angeles to ensure they are adequately equipped to navigate potential periods of stress and anxiety. Ultimately, he wants to detract students from turning to social media platforms in search of drugs to alleviate mental health struggles. <\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"FLSWUYND65EWVG6SJFMEDJIV5Q\">His nonprofit partners with the Los Angeles Police Department. Unlike some parents and organizations, he supports the presence of school resource officers (SROs) on campus and believes that police view their role as protecting children, not finding reasons to arrest them.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"FLLY7JRSKJD5NGWY5EIBVJLHXY\"><a href=\"https:\/\/advancementproject.org\">The Advancement Project<\/a>, a nonprofit devoted to dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline and removing law enforcement presence and SROs from schools, views police officers as a threat to Black, Brown and Latino students. They also say police are the wrong vessels for a drug prevention message.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"AMARFLAHVVDUVE5E7JVBGGTLWA\">\u201cWhen you place a police officer in a school, you increase the likelihood\u2026of suspensions and expulsions, and you increase the risk of school-based arrests, as well as the physical assaults that accompany that,\u201d says Tyler Whittenberg, deputy director of the project\u2019s Opportunity to Learn program.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"article__image\">\n<div class=\"article__image-wrapper\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 500px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nj.com\/resizer\/v2\/TTK5R4JNS5HHZKLHOKHG4J477A.jpg?auth=5a321f4f237627d3c1b82d7075d92c735185abf27bd8bee941861feb4d9229f0&#038;width=500&#038;quality=90 500w\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 800px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nj.com\/resizer\/v2\/TTK5R4JNS5HHZKLHOKHG4J477A.jpg?auth=5a321f4f237627d3c1b82d7075d92c735185abf27bd8bee941861feb4d9229f0&#038;width=800&#038;quality=90 800w\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nj.com\/resizer\/v2\/TTK5R4JNS5HHZKLHOKHG4J477A.jpg?auth=5a321f4f237627d3c1b82d7075d92c735185abf27bd8bee941861feb4d9229f0&#038;width=1280&#038;quality=90 1280w\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nj.com\/resizer\/v2\/TTK5R4JNS5HHZKLHOKHG4J477A.jpg?auth=5a321f4f237627d3c1b82d7075d92c735185abf27bd8bee941861feb4d9229f0&#038;width=500&#038;quality=90\" sizes=\"auto, 50vw\" fetchpriority=\"low\" alt=\"Fentanyl: Death through deception for Palabra\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"article__image-content\" height=\"600\" width=\"300\"\/><\/picture><figcaption class=\"article__image-caption\">\n<p class=\"article__mm-image-caption-text\">Jaime Puerta sees a photo of him and his son included in the \u201cDead on Arrival\u201d documentary. Photo by Zaydee Sanchez for palabra<span class=\"article__mm-image-credit\">Palabra<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"DRAXGIWDANBELDPSIM4ZIDCOAI\">In the 1980s, the LAPD\u2019s D.A.R.E. program (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) placed police officers in schools and \u201cit was measurably ineffective at preventing students from experimenting with drugs,\u201d Whittenberg says.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"6FTIAXDJFNG7JL74G7BSL3I47Y\">Scholarly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S0091743596900614\">research<\/a> supports Whittenberg\u2019s claim. But the long-ago program\u2019s merits are immaterial to Puerta and other parents who have lost a loved one to fentanyl. These parents have no illusion that their efforts will stop or solve the crisis \u2013 but they\u2019re galvanized by their respective losses to try to mitigate the toll fentanyl is exacting on their communities.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"NDUMZPFRXVCGRA72QPFSQO3E4Y\">Following the death of 15-year-old Melanie Ramos in September 2022, a group of parents \u2014 including Melanie\u2019s mother, Elena P\u00e9rez \u2014 and community leaders contributed to the October 2023 passage of <a href=\"https:\/\/sd15.senate.ca.gov\/news\/governor-signs-melanies-law-stop-youth-fentanyl-overdoses\">SB 10 <\/a>or <a href=\"https:\/\/leginfo.legislature.ca.gov\/faces\/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB10\">Melanie\u2019s Law<\/a>, a statewide bill requiring all California public schools to develop safety plans and create fentanyl education, prevention training and response programs for staff, students and families. The goal: to save an overdosing student. <\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"RHMR3IPZW5CPNMNX2BJXYUCQ3I\">The teenager had fatally overdosed in the girls\u2019 bathroom at Bernstein High School in Hollywood, part of the Los Angeles Unified School District. Earlier that day, a friend of Melanie\u2019s overdosed at the school but survived. Both girls had taken pills they thought were Percocet. The pills were laced with fentanyl, according to published reports.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"2AQ6S2ATXVB3FIJPOZGLS5ECB4\">Melanie\u2019s mother <a href=\"https:\/\/unicourt.com\/case\/ca-la23-elena-perez-vs-los-angeles-unified-school-district-944947\">filed<\/a> a <a href=\"https:\/\/patch.com\/california\/hollywood\/autopsy-photos-sought-lausd-suit-over-students-overdose-death\">wrongful-death lawsuit<\/a> against the LAUSD, arguing school officials knew there was a \u201crampant drug problem on the Bernstein campus,\u201d including overdoses in recent months, yet failed to act. <a href=\"https:\/\/patch.com\/california\/hollywood\/seventh-hollywood-teen-overdosed-apparently-fentanyl-lapd\">Authorities confirmed<\/a> that at least seven teenagers in Hollywood had overdosed on pills believed to be laced with fentanyl in the span of a month. The LAUSD is now trying to have the <a href=\"https:\/\/kfiam640.iheart.com\/content\/2024-02-28-lausd-seeks-dismissal-of-student-fentanyl-overdose-suit\/\">case dismissed<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"RBSZV2WVKRAQFEOCVK3JCL3OQE\">The bill was sponsored by state Sen. Dave Cortese (District 15), who represents most of Santa Clara County, which saw an 863% increase in fentanyl deaths between 2018 and 2021. The legislation also provides schools with access to Narcan (<a href=\"https:\/\/nida.nih.gov\/publications\/drugfacts\/naloxone\">Naloxone<\/a>), an emergency nasal spray that rapidly reverses the effects of fentanyl.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"article__image\">\n<div class=\"article__image-wrapper\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 500px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nj.com\/resizer\/v2\/D7SUESHBL5HONCHMUP2WTLRZV4.jpg?auth=37f6b91053d6215f17d3f77eff1aa34d20868766585d638d22544489a53453af&#038;width=500&#038;quality=90 500w\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 800px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nj.com\/resizer\/v2\/D7SUESHBL5HONCHMUP2WTLRZV4.jpg?auth=37f6b91053d6215f17d3f77eff1aa34d20868766585d638d22544489a53453af&#038;width=800&#038;quality=90 800w\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nj.com\/resizer\/v2\/D7SUESHBL5HONCHMUP2WTLRZV4.jpg?auth=37f6b91053d6215f17d3f77eff1aa34d20868766585d638d22544489a53453af&#038;width=1280&#038;quality=90 1280w\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nj.com\/resizer\/v2\/D7SUESHBL5HONCHMUP2WTLRZV4.jpg?auth=37f6b91053d6215f17d3f77eff1aa34d20868766585d638d22544489a53453af&#038;width=500&#038;quality=90\" sizes=\"auto, 50vw\" fetchpriority=\"low\" alt=\"Fentanyl: Death through deception for Palabra\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"article__image-content\" height=\"600\" width=\"300\"\/><\/picture><figcaption class=\"article__image-caption\">\n<p class=\"article__mm-image-caption-text\">Bernstein High School in Hollywood. Photo by Zaydee Sanchez for palabra<span class=\"article__mm-image-credit\">Palabra<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"3ZGZHAHBIJBOBOIEEFKP4PA7MY\">\u201cHaving Narcan at schools will save lives,\u201d says Mira Parwiz, coalition leader of the Santa Clara County Opioid Overdose Prevention Project (<a href=\"https:\/\/bhsd.santaclaracounty.gov\/santa-clara-county-opioid-overdose-prevention-project-sccoopp\">SCCOOPP<\/a>), a diverse group of healthcare professionals and volunteers working to promote opioid safety throughout the county.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"SPA2FKC3NRBANOA7ZI4J6TOHBA\">Parwiz explains that, faced with skyrocketing overdoses in Santa Clara \u2014 where <a href=\"https:\/\/publichealth.santaclaracounty.gov\/health-information\/health-data\/population-health-assessments\/latino-health-assessment\/county-santa\">25% of the population is Latino<\/a> \u2014 the county had no time to spare. In 2022, SCCOOPP provided opioid education and training to all school districts and made Narcan available to each school\u2019s staff, parents and students. \u201cSenator Cortese has told us that he was inspired by our work and pushed it forward to become a model for all California schools,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"V5NRH4KNQZE25HEVLZCMONDGP4\">SB 10\u2019s effectiveness <a href=\"https:\/\/sd15.senate.ca.gov\/news\/governor-signs-melanies-law-stop-youth-fentanyl-overdoses\">remains <\/a>unclear. In Santa Clara County, authorities have yet to track whether the law made a difference. However, Parwiz is sure the measure will help all schools, regardless of socioeconomic factors.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"PRT6XDLR2RHJHFUY2ZE5ESXCTM\">Other tools used by SCCOOPP include screenings of the feature-length documentary <a href=\"https:\/\/d5.santaclaracounty.gov\/fentanyl-high-documentary-film-screening\"><i>Fentanyl High<\/i><\/a> at community events and schools. The film was directed by Kyle Santoro, a Taiwanese-American student at Los Gatos High School.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"article__image\">\n<div class=\"article__image-wrapper\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 500px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nj.com\/resizer\/v2\/LZYEHYYXYNBQJKAOYROAZ2SPQ4.jpg?auth=23d13a482dac289340a611c85a4bba3ca8fca8a3473c2b093991aabd2c6066fa&#038;width=500&#038;quality=90 500w\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 800px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nj.com\/resizer\/v2\/LZYEHYYXYNBQJKAOYROAZ2SPQ4.jpg?auth=23d13a482dac289340a611c85a4bba3ca8fca8a3473c2b093991aabd2c6066fa&#038;width=800&#038;quality=90 800w\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nj.com\/resizer\/v2\/LZYEHYYXYNBQJKAOYROAZ2SPQ4.jpg?auth=23d13a482dac289340a611c85a4bba3ca8fca8a3473c2b093991aabd2c6066fa&#038;width=1280&#038;quality=90 1280w\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nj.com\/resizer\/v2\/LZYEHYYXYNBQJKAOYROAZ2SPQ4.jpg?auth=23d13a482dac289340a611c85a4bba3ca8fca8a3473c2b093991aabd2c6066fa&#038;width=500&#038;quality=90\" sizes=\"auto, 50vw\" fetchpriority=\"low\" alt=\"Fentanyl: Death through deception for Palabra\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"article__image-content\" height=\"600\" width=\"300\"\/><\/picture><figcaption class=\"article__image-caption\">\n<p class=\"article__mm-image-caption-text\">A scene from the documentary \u201cDead on Arrival,\u201d which highlights stories of four families, including Jaime Puerta\u2019s, who have lost loved ones to fentanyl. Photo by Zaydee Sanchez for palabra<span class=\"article__mm-image-credit\">Palabra<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"article-heading\">Youth and young adults join the drug prevention effort<\/h2>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"7UK4MTVFANDM5P7Z43RX5LP3UY\">Santoro is not the only student or young adult raising awareness of the dangers of opioid addiction. In Arizona, 31-year-old Ronny Morales has been working as a recovery advocate for years now. A former Arizona State University journalism student, Morales quit his college studies after developing a years-long addiction to prescription opiates following a car accident that left him with third-degree burns. After only three months of supervised treatment, he developed a drug dependency. \u201cI started using it like my coffee in the morning,\u201d he says in an interview with <i>palabra<\/i>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"ELRGS5FZKFG43L4DHL3AKETOUE\">In the throes of his addiction, Morales went to social media, where he found \u201c<i>abuelitas<\/i>\u201d who sold him medication from the comfort of their own homes. \u201cYou would see them\u2026you would be like, oh, she\u2019s such a cute grandma\u2026 but\u2026they get down to business,\u201d Morales explains.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"LTRHZ4FJLFEVFJHEQN37G4WXXY\">In 2019, he started sharing his recovery journey on social media and realized that he was not alone in his struggle with opiates or fentanyl. He has since brought his message to students and parents at community and recovery events. But it\u2019s been an uphill recovery journey, and as a Latino, he says, it was \u201cembarrassing\u201d to share his struggles with others.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"7O7XVU7TPNC3BHAJOTLLD7KNKU\">\u201cBecause of the cultural differences, culture barriers, it\u2019s just so much more difficult to come out with something like that (fentanyl addiction) and be public about it. It\u2019s very taboo,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"DUBM243JXNG6HOJEZGI44OUB3Q\">Morales relapsed multiple times until he cut off all contact with his drug providers and network and became sober in 2019. This decision appears to have been crucial in his recovery journey.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"J2FM3FTP2ZD3NONDNUYNF6BV34\">\u201cI blocked them. I deleted them. I wanted nothing to do with them. I didn\u2019t want them to reach out to me because I wanted just no connection with them,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"article__image\">\n<div class=\"article__image-wrapper\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 500px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nj.com\/resizer\/v2\/2QHABX65INEWZHFK6MXJDRVISA.jpg?auth=8c774e945a2819eae72e3644f1c919ce85022568e0ca1ced32dda73ea9982368&#038;width=500&#038;quality=90 500w\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 800px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nj.com\/resizer\/v2\/2QHABX65INEWZHFK6MXJDRVISA.jpg?auth=8c774e945a2819eae72e3644f1c919ce85022568e0ca1ced32dda73ea9982368&#038;width=800&#038;quality=90 800w\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nj.com\/resizer\/v2\/2QHABX65INEWZHFK6MXJDRVISA.jpg?auth=8c774e945a2819eae72e3644f1c919ce85022568e0ca1ced32dda73ea9982368&#038;width=1280&#038;quality=90 1280w\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nj.com\/resizer\/v2\/2QHABX65INEWZHFK6MXJDRVISA.jpg?auth=8c774e945a2819eae72e3644f1c919ce85022568e0ca1ced32dda73ea9982368&#038;width=500&#038;quality=90\" sizes=\"auto, 50vw\" fetchpriority=\"low\" alt=\"Fentanyl: Death through deception for Palabra\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"article__image-content\" height=\"600\" width=\"300\"\/><\/picture><figcaption class=\"article__image-caption\">\n<p class=\"article__mm-image-caption-text\">Jaime Puerta keeps pins from government agencies he has visited during speaking events about the effects of fentanyl in schools across the country. Photo by Zaydee Sanchez for palabra<span class=\"article__mm-image-credit\">Palabra<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"article-heading\">Cartels recruit young U.S. citizens and permanent residents to smuggle drugs<\/h2>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"2TEEW4QEZBH6JOFRXKCTGECXKM\">Both in Arizona and California, Mexican cartels \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dea.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/2024-05\/NDTA_2024.pdf\">primarily the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco Cartel <\/a>\u2014 are exploiting decades-long logistics and distribution routes to smuggle fentanyl into the U.S. It is not immigrants without documents bringing in the drugs, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/news\/fact-checker\/wp\/2015\/07\/08\/donald-trumps-false-comments-connecting-mexican-immigrants-and-crime\/\">as president-elect Donald Trump<\/a> has claimed repeatedly. Rather, drug organizations enlist U.S. citizens and green card holders \u2014 including some students \u2014 as \u201cmules\u201d to slip fentanyl past the border.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"IJSH2TJYLJBTBBYDKSKSTDIKOU\">In August 2019, Phillip Junior Webb, a U.S. citizen, was sentenced to 46 months in prison for recruiting high school students and attempting to smuggle methamphetamine and fentanyl at the San Ysidro and Otay Mesa ports of entry multiple times. At the time of the offense, Webb was an 18-year-old high school senior. Juveniles he recruited strapped drugs to their bodies, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dea.gov\/press-releases\/2019\/08\/19\/teen-who-recruited-juveniles-smuggle-drugs-sentenced-46-months-custody\">DEA<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"RLYOUW623VCL5HO4BHK4ADHMUQ\">At least 50% of U.S. Customs and Border Protection\u2019s fentanyl seizures occur in San Diego. This means that students in school districts on or close to the border \u2014 such as those in San Ysidro, National City, and Chula Vista \u2014 are particularly vulnerable to recruitment by drug organizations, which offer to pay thousands of dollars for smuggling drugs into the U.S.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"DVCAXKAZDNAVJMI3DXWPH5PPVM\">The legal entry points of Tijuana and San Ysidro are \u201cthe most valuable piece of drug trafficking property in the world,\u201d says Rocky Herron, a retired DEA agent currently working as the ambassador of Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention for the San Diego County Office of Education. Herron, parent<a href=\"https:\/\/rockyherron.com\"> of three daughters<\/a>, spoke to <i>palabra<\/i> on behalf of himself, not as a spokesman for the county education department.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"5M4JJ3UDYVHJ5E2OIGMPHEFJP4\">Herron speaks fluent Spanish and has delivered nearly a thousand presentations in the U.S. and over 200 abroad. His <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=oIEbB4oOQPM&#038;t=23s\">message<\/a> to youth is simple: the power to make the right choices \u2014 even if one is already using drugs \u2014 resides within them. In his talks, he also explains that drug consumption disrupts brain development and has negative consequences for the user\u2019s friends and family.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"GU5NWRWOWZGCNDSJ2AM55E32MA\">Herron works on prevention campaigns with school districts on the border that have a mix of U. S. and transborder Mexican students.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"UBDDP46OBJDBXD4U2KCPTRO5NI\">While fentanyl deaths are getting the lion\u2019s share of attention, methamphetamine is also fatally poisoning many people, he says.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"COFH7Q7WVZEHTGT6AIIBQ4JF3Y\">The toll exacted by both drugs is quantifiable. According to a 2024 annual <a href=\"https:\/\/www.suopt.org\/_files\/ugd\/6b5bbf_782bef6bdd1b4a2e9d933161726df340.pdf\">report card<\/a>, unintentional fentanyl-caused deaths (both prescribed and illicitly obtained) rose from 151 to 749 between 2019 and 2023 in San Diego. Fentanyl-only deaths accounted for 62% of all unintentional drug and alcohol deaths in 2023. In 2019, this number was considerably lower: 23%. In 2023 also, the explosive methamphetamine and fentanyl mix killed 458 people, compared to 56 in 2019.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"CRFZ6MMALZEFDNP54OD3VCTPZ4\">Herron acknowledges that it\u2019s hard to prove the effectiveness of preventive care: \u201cHow do you prove how many drug users you prevented?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"IFMP5SJDORHDNHZ5TBA64GCW5Q\">Beatriz Villarreal also believes in the power of preventive strategies. More than 25 years ago, Villarreal \u2014 who at the time was <a href=\"https:\/\/sdvoyager.com\/interview\/meet-beatriz-villarreal-mano-mano-foundation-encinitas-california\/\">running an advisory program<\/a> at the San Diego County Juvenile Hall \u2014 founded <a href=\"https:\/\/mamf.org\/en\/\">Mano a Mano,<\/a> a San Diego-based non-profit working with the police, state universities, public schools and churches to bring drug prevention information exclusively in Spanish to Latino children and families in San Diego County. She wants parents to start the war on drugs at home, takes a hard stance on crime and believes that dealers, including students, have to face serious consequences for committing drug-related crimes.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"article__image\">\n<div class=\"article__image-wrapper\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 500px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nj.com\/resizer\/v2\/PPOZL5KCLNHYROLYXIX5MNC2FE.jpg?auth=902762aa8911d0285db155a22d37a43966da0df5a3b4c05806f74b17127a33e9&#038;width=500&#038;quality=90 500w\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 800px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nj.com\/resizer\/v2\/PPOZL5KCLNHYROLYXIX5MNC2FE.jpg?auth=902762aa8911d0285db155a22d37a43966da0df5a3b4c05806f74b17127a33e9&#038;width=800&#038;quality=90 800w\"\/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nj.com\/resizer\/v2\/PPOZL5KCLNHYROLYXIX5MNC2FE.jpg?auth=902762aa8911d0285db155a22d37a43966da0df5a3b4c05806f74b17127a33e9&#038;width=1280&#038;quality=90 1280w\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nj.com\/resizer\/v2\/PPOZL5KCLNHYROLYXIX5MNC2FE.jpg?auth=902762aa8911d0285db155a22d37a43966da0df5a3b4c05806f74b17127a33e9&#038;width=500&#038;quality=90\" sizes=\"auto, 50vw\" fetchpriority=\"low\" alt=\"Fentanyl: Death through deception for Palabra\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"article__image-content\" height=\"600\" width=\"300\"\/><\/picture><figcaption class=\"article__image-caption\">\n<p class=\"article__mm-image-caption-text\">Left: Beatriz Villarreal, in a yellow dress, with other supporters of Mano a Mano at their fentanyl conference in Imperial Beach in 2024. Right: A slide presented to young attendees at the conference. Photos courtesy of Beatriz Villarreal<span class=\"article__mm-image-credit\">Palabra<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"KGOSTSBH3REVTGHPFAIX7FV35M\">Online <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/CpYAoti3QxY?si=iiblJXr1mXGlkhRp\">videos<\/a> of her presentations show Villarreal encouraging Latino parents to have frequent conversations about drug and alcohol prevention with their children. She shows parents how to visually identify drugs, teaches them street drug names, explains how prevalent specific drugs are in different regions, breaks down popular drug use by ethnic group and describes the effects of each drug on the body.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"PWSFRQIPYRCLTCC23IE4NALSZY\">There are signs that prevention efforts and calls to action \u2014 like Herron\u2019s and Puerta\u2019s talks, the students\u2019 awareness efforts, Villarreal\u2019s classes and the widespread availability of naloxone \u2014 may be having a positive effect among students and parents attending these events. <\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"XP7BIT5J2FFJJFUCWE7N7CJQRM\">Villarreal launched her fentanyl prevention campaign in Spanish about two years ago, encouraged Puerta to include Spanish subtitles on <i>Dead on Arrival<\/i>, and currently provides free Narcan to families attending her events. Multiple times, she has invited Puerta to speak and screen his short film on fentanyl. This year, he spoke before an audience of 2,500 students. The response was overwhelming.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"I7KSM3J7Y5BCPHLNPPZDIPSB4M\">\u201cAll (attendees) ended up crying and hugged him. And that\u2019s what we need, that he goes to each school and presents his video,\u201d she recalls. <\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"CUUKY6YCNBE4XL6YVND6UDMMKI\"><b>Aitana Vargas<\/b><i> is a Columbia University graduate and an award-winning on-camera foreign correspondent and live tennis commentator based in Los Angeles. She began her career anchoring a local Spanish-language TV show while obtaining her BS in Physics from Berry College and then interned at the BBC, CNN International, and the NASA\/ESA Hubble Space Telescope Communications Department in Germany. Her Master\u2019s thesis on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at Columbia University was supervised by Professor Rashid Khalidi. Her stories have appeared on NPR\u2019s The Pulse, the EHRP, P\u00fablico, EFE, CNN Expansi\u00f3n, the LA Times, DirecTV Sports, TVE Internacional, Cuatro\/Telecinco TV Network, HITN TV Network, Narratively, Hoy Los \u00c1ngeles and others. She\u2019s received several LA Press Club awards (Investigative Series, Sports Journalist of the Year, Race &#038; Society Reporting, Hard News Feature, Obituary, Consumer Reporting, Sports and Hard News) and the 2018 Berry College Outstanding Young Alumni Award. She is a Livingston Award finalist, a Fundaci\u00f3n Gabo &#038; Organized Crime Corruption Reporting Project finalist and a 2024-2025 Rosalynn Carter fellow. Aitana was also the Spanish-English interpreter for transgender artist Daniela Vega, lead actress in the Academy Award-winning film \u201cA Fantastic Woman.\u201d Learn more <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/aitanavargas.aitanavargas\"><i>about her<\/i><\/a><i>. <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/AitanaVargas\"><i>@AitanaVargas<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"DUAFAKTLVBB3HGWBVCWNMSKDTU\"><b>Zaydee Sanchez<\/b><i> is a Mexican American visual storyteller, documentary photographer, and writer from Tulare, California, in the San Joaquin Valley. She seeks to highlight underreported communities and overlooked narratives, with a focus on labor, gender, and displacement. Zaydee is an International Women\u2019s Media Foundation grantee and a 2021 USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism Fellow. Her work has been published in Al Jazeera, National Geographic, NPR, among others. She lives in Los Angeles. <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/zaydee.s\/\"><i>@Zaydee_s<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"FZBLCTWKOVEAVFDOL2J2J2FQXY\"><b>Ruben Castaneda<\/b><i> is a Washington, D.C.-based journalist with more than three decades of experience as a reporter and an editor. He has worked for the Washington Post, U.S. News &#038; World Report and is the author of the book S Street Rising: Crack, Murder and Redemption in D.C. <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SStreetRising\"><i>@sstreetrising <\/i><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nj.com\/palabra\/2024\/12\/latino-communities-mobilize-amid-a-rise-in-fentanyl-related-deaths.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Editor\u2019s note: This story first appeared on palabra, the digital news site by the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. It is part of our Safe to Learn investigative series, exploring&hellip;<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":75935,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-75934","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvbrazilusa.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75934","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvbrazilusa.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvbrazilusa.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvbrazilusa.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvbrazilusa.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=75934"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tvbrazilusa.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75934\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":75936,"href":"https:\/\/tvbrazilusa.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75934\/revisions\/75936"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvbrazilusa.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/75935"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvbrazilusa.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=75934"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvbrazilusa.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=75934"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvbrazilusa.com\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=75934"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}