It’s a message that is repeated often in the Bucyrus Common Pleas Court. Judge Sean Leuthold admonishes defendant after defendant on the dangers of buying any drugs; but a new and dangerous threat are drugs laced with the synthetic opioid Fentanyl.
In a story covered by Crawford County Now the Judge took issue with a pregnant woman who tested positive for cocaine.
He told defendant Healea Walters, “You’re a danger to yourself and especially to your unborn baby.”
Fentanyl is 50 times more powerful than heroin.
“If you are buying drugs in the state of Ohio (anything from marijuana to heroin) you are buying Fentanyl laced drugs. The Mexican Cartels are responsible for the drugs coming into Ohio. They lace the heroin and other drugs with Fentanyl to make them stronger and cheaper. The other danger is that residue from the drugs can affect innocent people causing them to overdose. Paramedics have had this problem and innocent children have over dosed because they touched the substance. “We are trying to stay ahead of the problem in Crawford County,” Leuthold said.
The lifesaving injection shot known as Narcan is resistant to Fentanyl. It may take several shots of Narcan to save someone who has overdosed, and sometimes, depending on the type of drug used Narcan is rendered completely useless.
The biggest effects of Fentanyl are slowing of the heart and the shutting down of the respiratory system. Breathing simply stops.
Leuthold concluded, “Sadly we are going to see many people die because of heroin and other drugs laced with Fentanyl.”
By Kathy Laird, Crawford County Now Contributor