On Wednesday June 9, I held a Virtual Town Hall, with District Attorney Summer Stephan titled, “What Every Parent Should Know About Fentanyl.” It was illuminating and I encourage every parent to watch/listen to the meeting and share it with their friends, neighbors, and co-workers. If you go to my website, SupervisorJimDesmond.com you’ll be able to watch the entire town hall and look at some of the tips for parents.

As summer approaches and teens have more free time, it’s imperative that parents have the facts and knowledge to talk to their kids about the dangers of fentanyl.

I wanted to highlight some of the most pertinent information I learned during the meeting for parents and kids when it comes to fentanyl.

Last year, the leading cause of death in the United States for 18 – 45-year-olds was fentanyl. Fentanyl overdose deaths in 2021 exceeded 800 in San Diego County and will continue to grow in 2022 unless there is greater awareness and stronger policies in place.

Last year, I led the effort to direct the County to work with the educational community, and other stakeholders to develop a substance use prevention campaign, that focuses on fentanyl awareness. This effort is ongoing and is just the start. It’s going to take the entire community coming together and letting our youth know that one pill can kill.

Another thing to know, there is a new kind of drug dealer and it’s on the phone. Kids are getting drugs through social media channels like Snapchat, Telegram, and other platforms, in a manner of minutes.

During the presentation we had Laura Binker-White & Matt White speak about their son Connor. Connor White was a stand-out athlete and a 4.0 GPA student. Last year, during finals week, Connor took a Percocet he got from a “friend” which ended up being laced with fentanyl, and tragically passed away.

These tragedies are preventable, but it starts with talking to our kids (and adults) about the deadly effects of fentanyl. Please share this message with everyone!

Jim Desmond

– San Diego County District 5 Supervisor