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FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - Monday morning, Bullard High School students heard first-hand from Fresno County and metropolis leaders astir the dangers of fentanyl.
Through acquisition and proceeding from recovering addicts successful their community, Fresno County District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp, Fresno County Sheriff John Zanoni and Fresno Police Chief Mindy Casto purpose to marque a affirmative interaction connected astatine slightest 1 pupil astatine Bullard High.
"Really conscionable that there's anticipation that, you know, if they're chasing immoderate precocious beingness has truthful overmuch much to offer. The fentanyl is not the answer. If you're looking to consciousness something, that's not it," Casto said.
Students from Bullard High's Law and Justice Pathway Program, who helped signifier the presumption and aspire to prosecute law, recognize the value of events similar this and anticipation their peers bash too.
"It not lone affects the idiosyncratic taking successful the drugs and similar however overmuch they're being impacted by it, but their families and the radical astir them, and however overmuch drugs are lethal. But not lone that, but adjacent unit arsenic good is besides a cause that we don't truly person a cure for," 11th grader Azzariah Holly said.
"This isn't thing that's funny, you know, it's truly thing that radical request to understand," 11th grader Sydney Shepherd said.
Zanoni shared a chilling reminder of however galore radical fentanyl has killed successful Fresno County. In 2022, 120 people. In 2023, 110 radical and successful 2024, 80 people.
"The individuals that dice from fentanyl overdoses don't look similar crackheads, don't look similar pranksters, due to the fact that 1 pill tin kill," Zanoni said.
"And if you OD and you're fortunate capable not to die, there's a precise bully accidental that your lungs aren't going to enactment oregon your encephalon is damaged," Smittcamp said.
They explained however this opioid is being laced successful different drugs, truthful teens don't adjacent cognize that they're taking it until it's excessively late.
"These cause dealers don't attraction astir you; all they're successful it is to marque money," Zanoni said.
Tuesday night, Smittcamp volition clasp a county-wide presumption astatine Bullard High's Theater astatine 6 p.m. and again astatine 7:15 p.m.
