POISON PILL

SAN DIEGO COUNTY'S BATTLE AGAINST FENTANYL

AN IN-DEPTH LOOK AT THE HIDDEN DANGERS AND FRIGHTENING CONSEQUENCES OF ILLICIT FENTANYL.

San Diego County has become a national epicenter for fentanyl trafficking, with nearly 60% of all fentanyl seized around the country happening at the U.S.-Mexico border, according to the Department of Justice. More deadly fentanyl is being seized by border officials in San Diego and Imperial counties than at any of the nation’s 300-plus ports of entry. As a result of the influx in drugs, fentanyl overdose deaths in the region have increased 2,375 percent since 2016, according to the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office. In fact, the office says this dangerous opioid is now the leading cause of death for young adults ages 18-45, surpassing deaths from car accidents, homicide, COVID-19, suicide gun violence and heart disease.

The situation is so dire, in June, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors declared illegal fentanyl a public health crisis.

NBC 7 decided to dig deeper, beyond the headlines and statistics, to understand how and why this fentanyl emergency has unfolded in San Diego County, as well as the impact the crisis is having in our communities and finally, what work needs to be done to fight what’s being called an epidemic.

During our journey, we spoke with parents who’ve lost their kids, overdose survivors, academic and medical professionals, representatives of government agencies and activists. Their stories from the front lines of this battle are raw, honest and sometimes frightening. Through telling these stories, we hope San Diegans can better understand the magnitude of the fentanyl crisis and what we need to do together to protect our families from that next poison pill.