In October 2021, Bruce Snodgrass died after a fentanyl overdose. He was 22 years previous.
“He liked Alaska,” stated Bruce’s mom, Sandy. “He was meant to be within the Alaskan wilderness. He was protected there. He wasn’t protected within the metropolis.”
The variety of lethal fentanyl overdoses in Alaska has been growing since 2018. The most important spike got here final 12 months, when there have been 253 overdose deaths — over 100 greater than the 12 months earlier than.
“There are individuals who actively hunt down fentanyl,” stated Michael Troster with the Alaska Excessive-Depth Drug Trafficking Space. “However a variety of the overdoses might be attributed to individuals considering they've one substance (Adderall) and it’s contaminated with fentanyl.”
One gram of fentanyl may kill 500 individuals. Within the first three months of this 12 months, legislation enforcement seized over 1,200 grams. That’s greater than double what was seized all of final 12 months. Retired DEA Agent Derek Maltz says a variety of it’s coming from Mexico.
“The cartels have a pipeline up the West Coast, by California, into Washington state,” Maltz stated. “And clearly into Alaska. So, we’re seeing rising dependancy.”
Since Bruce’s demise, Sandy has been pushing for a legislation in his identify. It’s geared toward making a marketing campaign to warn the general public in regards to the risks of fentanyl.
“Bruce’s Legislation will present federal-level consciousness and prevention measures particularly surrounding the fentanyl disaster in the US,” Snodgrass stated.
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