CA’s Fentanyl Death Toll Climbs, Multi-Million-Dollar Effort Launched

LOS ANGELES, CA — As California's fentanyl death toll mounts and an increasing number of parents grieve dead children, state Attorney General Rob Bonta is feeling the pressure.

During a news conference Wednesday in Los Angeles, Bonta announced the California Department of Justice secured $7.9 million for the 2022-2023 budget year to create a Fentanyl Enforcement Program aimed at preventing the synthetic opioid from reaching Golden State communities. An additional $6.7 million of ongoing funding was promised for the following budget year, according to Bonta.

In total, 25 personnel will be hired as part of the state program. The funding is in addition to DOJ's ongoing efforts through its Bureau of Forensic Services, which, among other things, supports law enforcement across the state.

Is all of this enough? In addition to law enforcement efforts, combating fentanyl involves everyone in a community, Bonta said. In California, 3,946 people died from fentanyl poisoning in 2020; the preliminary 2021 figure was 5,722 deaths, according to the California Department of Public Health.

Youth deaths are disturbing. According to the California Department of Public Health, "Fentanyl-related overdose deaths in California's youth ages 10-19 years increased from 2018 (36 total) to 2020 (261 total), a 625 percent increase." Preliminary 2021 figures for the same age group show a slight decrease in fentanyl deaths, but the CDPH cautioned that last year's counts will be adjusted, likely upward, when all pending cases are resolved.

“Throughout the nation, we continue to address the impacts of the opioid crisis, and have in recent years seen a marked increase in fentanyl use and associated deaths,” Bonta said. “This crisis is a multifaceted public health and safety issue — and addressing this crisis requires a thoughtful and strategic approach."

How Did We Get Here?

Combating fentanyl is an expensive proposition, but billions of dollars are being secured through legal battles. Many state attorneys general look back to the 1990s when talking about how the United States became embroiled in the fentanyl crisis. During Wednesday's news conference, Bonta named the Sackler family, who own Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin. Many critics like Bonta contend the Sacklers aggressively marketed opioids like OxyContin in ways that contributed to soaring rates of addiction and overdoses. As a result, the family has paid billions of dollars to states in legal settlements.

The Sacklers are not alone.

A $26 billion settlement was reached with Cardinal, McKesson, and AmerisourceBergen — the nation’s three major pharmaceutical distributors — and Johnson & Johnson, a company that manufactured and marketed opioids. A nearly $6 billion settlement is pending with opioid manufacturers Allergan and Teva to resolve allegations the companies deceptively marketed opioids and failed to maintain controls to prevent diversion. Additionally, a $573 million settlement with McKinsey & Company was reached to resolve California’s investigation into the company’s role in profiting from the opioid epidemic.

Bonta promised his team will continue to "aggressively go after Wall Street" for its role in the fentanyl crisis, and money from legal settlements will be used to further combat illicit opioids.

Fraud And Trickery

For fentanyl peddlers in the black market — many of whom head Mexican drug cartels — business appears good. As the reins were subsequently tightened on opioid pharmaceuticals, some patients who became addicted while under doctors' care turned to the underground market, which has boomed and evolved, Bonta said.

Fentanyl is today's reality, according to Bonta. The drug is very inexpensive to manufacture, yet 50 times more potent than heroin. To boost profits, illicit substances are commonly laced with fentanyl. Marijuana, ecstasy, "prescription" medications, meth, heroin, and other drugs are fraught with lacing, according to law enforcement. Buyers are often unaware that what they're taking is tainted. A kid experimenting with an illegal drug is at far greater risk today because there's a chance the substance is laced, and it only takes about 2 milligrams of fentanyl to kill a human, officials say.

Illicit drug dealers are not taking precautions to ensure their products are safe. Taking a pill from a batch of fake oxycodone pills, for example, is like playing Russian roulette, as the manufacturing process doesn't involve sterile, certified laboratories with scientists overseeing the process. More often, the work involves a garage, filler ingredients, fentanyl, food coloring, a spatula, maybe an electric mixer, and a pill press. The end result: one pill barely contains fentanyl while another kills, according to officials.

A quick search on Amazon offers just about everything a low-level trafficker needs, minus the fentanyl, to make the fake pills at home.

As for selling these products, the dark web and social media platforms are commonly used distribution channels and an easy way to reach end-users, according to law enforcement.

As far as punishment, local law enforcement agencies are stepping up efforts. Some counties are now charging dealers whose products kill with second-degree murder. Fentanyl awareness education is being taught in some California classrooms, and naloxone (a fentanyl antidote) is being distributed to parents and students — and they're being trained on how to use the medication.

State efforts are targeted at snaring dealers, not users, Bonta said. "We're not interested in restarting the failed war on drugs but instead going after Wall Street and Main Street" fentanyl pushers, he said.

Bottom Line

Cade Kitchen's family is among those grappling with the 2022 fentanyl reality. Cade, who died earlier this month, was a 17-year-old musician and high school baseball player from Woodland Hills.

Fentanyl poisoning among Los Angeles teens has more than tripled since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, reaching crisis levels at schools, as health officials and parents deal with the deadly drug.

David Hussey, executive director at El Camino Real Charter High School where Cade was a student, addressed families in a letter following the inexplicable death.

"It is with great sadness that I inform you that one of our 17-year-old students passed away last night," Hussey wrote. 'This tragic incident was the result of a fatal Fentanyl overdose. As a father and a parent, I cannot fathom the loss of a child. My heart breaks to know that an El Camino student will not be with us tomorrow."