Florida, in this new year, keep talking to kids about drugs | Column

Two years ago today we wrote in these pages about the urgent need for parents to have the “New Drug Talk” with their children during the holiday season. At that time, the United States had finally emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic and everything that flowed from it. A lot has changed since then — including the drug threat.

There have been a few modest glimmers of hope along the way. Overdose deaths involving opioids flattened in some places and decreased in others, harm reduction efforts such as Naloxone and fentanyl test strips have grown more acceptable, and some of the more than $50 billion in opioid settlement funds are finally being distributed to state and local governments after years of delay.

But drug use is more dangerous — and deadly — now than at any point in American history.

In the last 12 months, more than 111,000 Americans died from drug overdoses, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the percentage of young people dying from drug overdoses continues to rise. America’s capacity to treat substance abuse, measured by the number of spaces and qualified health care providers, remains alarmingly low. And the unrelenting flow of illicit drugs to the U.S. across the southwest border shows no signs of abating.

Meanwhile, the drug supply has grown even more frightening. In recent months, xylazine, a powerful animal sedative often mixed with fentanyl to prolong its effects, has started to migrate across the country. Also called “tranq dope” or “zombie drug,” xylazine has ravaged cities across America, with users experiencing gruesome side effects, including necrotic wounds and extended periods of unconsciousness.

There has also been a significant increase in polydrug use (the use of multiple illicit substances at the same time) and cross-contamination (where one drug is introduced to another) further complicating efforts to treat substance abuse. Often referred to as the “fourth wave” of the drug crisis, users are increasingly mixing fentanyl with methamphetamine, cocaine and benzodiazepines such as Valium and Xanax.

Sadly, Tampa Bay has not been spared. Drug overdose deaths in the Tampa Bay region are still among the highest in the state and the entire country. These new threats call for renewed vigilance.

The wars in Europe and the Middle East may dominate the headlines, but illicit drugs remain the most immediate threat to the United States. Drug overdoses are the leading cause of death among Americans ages 18 to 45, according to an analysis by the nonprofit Families Against Fentanyl — and each one is preventable.

So, what to do?

As we enter the new year, the U.S. must double down on its response at each stage along the “continuum” of substance abuse, including supply reduction, harm reduction, treatment and prevention. While the responses to each stage vary, each one presents an opportunity to make a very real difference in the lives of Floridians — and Americans more broadly.

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First, we must do more to combat the supply of illicit drugs into the United States. This starts with securing the southwest border, where the overwhelming majority of illicit drugs enters the U.S., but extends to law enforcement efforts in every city, state and county across the U.S. In the age of fentanyl, every town is now a border town. Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody — a Plant City native — should be commended for her support of these efforts.

Second, we must embrace commonsense harm reduction methods, such as widespread, cost-free access to naloxone, while rapidly scaling up substance abuse treatment to help those most in need. Recent data shows less than 10% of people with drug use disorders receive any treatment. Our nation must provide easy access to drug treatment to anyone who needs it.

And finally, we must do everything we can to stop substance abuse before it starts. Evidence-based education and prevention programs tailored to today’s drug threats are essential to reducing substance abuse. Beyond that, we need the real influencers — parents, teachers, coaches, mentors and even celebrities — to help raise awareness of today’s drug threats and rage against them.

This holiday season, have an honest conversation with your friends and family about the dangers of drugs. It may just save a life.

Uttam Dhillon served as the acting administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration from 2018 to 2020. He is a partner at the law of firm Frost Brown Todd in Washington, D.C. Jim Crotty served more than 12 years at the DEA, most recently as the deputy chief of staff.