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BOULDER, Colorado – Boulder County health officials warn of yet another batch of bad drugs hitting the streets of Colorado.
In a press release on Saturday, the health department said illicit drugs, mixed with fentanyl, were circulating in the community and leading to an increase in overdoses.
“Last night we got a call from the mother of a young man who had overdosed, and he had just been with young people, people partying with Xanax,” said Trina Faatz, of the Boulder County Substance Use Advisory Group.
Faatz said it was an ongoing problem.
“It’s not just Boulder County,” she said. “It’s Denver, Jefferson County, Weld County, it’s everywhere.”
Statistics show a huge increase in emergency department visits to Boulder County hospitals linked to opioid overdoses, during the pandemic.
From 2017 to 2019, there was an average of 14 visits per year, only in the 25 to 29 age group. Last year there were 34 hospital visits. That’s an increase of 143%.
“I had a friend who had a (drug-related) seizure,” Hailey McCabe said.
The UC student said she reacted quickly, based on the training she received as a lifeguard.
“I protected his head and called 911,” she says.
Signs of overdose include:
- Does not respond to sounds or pain, such as rubbing the breastbone
- Don’t breathe
- Blue lips or fingertips
- Loud gurgling noises
Faatz said drug users should test them.
“Take a very small amount to start,” she said, “and never use recreational drugs alone.
Faatz added that anyone who uses recreational drugs should have someone nearby who has Narcan nasal spray, to treat an overdose in an emergency.
Denver7 spoke briefly with several school and college-aged teens in the Boulder Hill area.
A 17-year-old said he carried Narcan with him.
“My mom gave it to me recently just to be safe,” he said, “because she heard about what’s going on in Boulder.
Faatz said that fentanyl is 50 to 100 times more potent than opioids and that drugs containing fentanyl can kill you.
This is what happened to a UC student in 2017.
Madeline Globe bought a pill on the street, fell asleep, and never woke up.
Good Samaritan Law
Faatz said the other really important thing that people need to realize, especially young people, is that if you call 911 to report an emergency drug or alcohol overdose, even to a law enforcement officer. order, 911 or a medical provider, this protects you from criminal prosecution.
“It is much better for a young person not to have to live with the guilt of leaving a friend behind, but to call 911 and he can always talk about the fact that he understands the law that protects him, that is the law of the good samaritan, ”she said.
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