BOULDER, Colorado. – Boulder County Health officials warn of another batch of bad drugs heading to the streets of Colorado.
In a statement released Saturday, the health department said street drugs, linked to fentanyl, are circulating in the community and lead to an increase in overdoses.
“Last night, we got a call from the mother of a young man who had overdosed and had just been with young people, people who were partying with Xanax,” said Trina Faatz, of the substance use advisory group of Boulder County.
Faatz said it is an ongoing problem.
“It’s not just Boulder County,” he said. “It’s Denver, Jefferson County, Weld County, it’s everywhere.”
Statistics show a huge increase in emergency room visits to Boulder County Hospital related to opioid overdose during the pandemic.
From 2017 to 2019, there were an average of 14 visits per year, in the 25-29 age group alone. Last year 34 visits were made to the hospital. This is an increase of 143 percent.
“I had a friend who had a (drug-related) seizure,” Hailey McCabe said.
The CU student said he reacted quickly, based on the training he received as a lifeguard.
“I protected his head and called 911,” he said.
Signs of an overdose include:
- It does not respond to sound or pain, such as rubbing the sternum
- Do not breathe
- Blue lips or fingertips
- Loud gurgling sounds
Faatz said people who use drugs should try them.
“Take a very small amount to get started,” he said, “and never use recreational drugs alone.
Faatz added that anyone using recreational drugs should have someone near them who has Narcan nasal spray to treat an overdose in an emergency situation.
Denver7 spoke briefly with several high school and college teens in the Boulder tourist area.
A 17-year-old said he was carrying Narcan with him.
“My mom gave it to me recently to be sure,” she said, “because she heard what’s going on in Boulder.”
Faatz said fentanyl is 50 to 100 times stronger than opioids and that drugs that use fentanyl can kill you.
This is what happened to a CU student in 2017.
Madeline Globe bought a pill on the street, went to sleep and never woke up.
Good Samaritan law
Faatz said the other really important thing for people, especially youth, is that if you call 911 to report an emergency drug or alcohol overdose, even to a police officer, to the 911 system or a medical provider, it will protect you from criminal prosecution.
“It is much better for a young person not to live with the guilt of leaving a friend behind, but to call 911 and can always show that he understands the law that protects them, which is the law of the Good Samaritan,” she said. .