Texas A&M working to combat fentanyl crisis

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – Earlier this month, KBTX reported a woman was arrested in Bryan after the test results of some fake oxycodone pills she was selling came in as fentanyl and meth.

The Co-Chair of the Texas A&M Opioid Task Force says fentanyl mixed with meth is now the number one substance causing deaths in the U.S., exceeding just fentanyl about a year ago.

“It’s right here in all the small towns through out Texas,” said Dr. Joy Alonzo, a Clinical Associate Professor at the Texas A&M Health Science Center and Co-Chair of Texas A&M Opioid Task Force.

“Illicit fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is ultra potent.”

Dr. Alonzo says the fake pills are produced by the cartels, made from chemical precursors that aren’t illegal, yet cooked up and with the right proportions you get fentanyl. Then meth is added using a binding agent.

“You press these, this material into a table that looks exactly like an oxycontin, exactly like a a Xanax, exactly like an Adderall. Exactly,” she explained.

“It is very scary, a lot of kids maybe they don’t know, or don’t think it’s going to happen to them,” said Katharine Harris, the Alfred C. Glassell, III, Fellow in Drug Policy at Rice University.

“I would stress to kids, not just not using drugs, but very much the dangers of these counterfeit pills you find online or [on] Snapchat, and just that they aren’t what you think they are.”

Both experts warn these pills can be found on social media or the dark web, some saying what they are, others posing as real meds.

Both also warn, there are other drugs gaining popularity like xylazine — a vet med used to sedate large animals.

Another synthetic opioid group in the pipeline are Nitazenes, street name Tony.

“If that really gets significantly circulated in these counterfeit tablets, the number of deaths will escalate very quickly,” said Alonzo.

Both experts strongly recommend having reversal drugs like Narcan handy. Texas legislation now also requires all Texas 6th through 12th grade campuses have reversal drugs.

Dr. Alonzo says A&M is working on some training tools, including a graphic novel about fentanyl. It’s expected out at the end of March.

They’re also in development with a mobile game, written by kids for kids.