North Branch High School will be the site of a free fentanyl awareness hosted by the Fentanyl Free Communities Foundation Tuesday night that looks to highlight the immediate dangers the drug is having on communities across the state and the resources available to those who may be struggling during the ongoing opioid epidemic.
Fentanyl's impact is one all too familiar for Fentanyl Free Communities Foundation chairwoman Michele Hein who lost her son Tyler in July 2020.
"He did not go out to buy fentanyl, but it was in the pill her purchased and died," Hein said. "That is what we and so many parents, prosecutors, and law enforcement are trying to avoid other families from having to bury their children, mothers, grandparents, or other family members."
Tuesday evening's event titled 'One Pill Can Kill' welcomes attendees of all ages to hear from professionals and individuals with lived experience. Attendees will be able to anonymously ask questions about the opiod/fentanyl crisis in Chisago County.
"It takes every single aspect of our community to battle this crisis," Hein said. "We can't arrest our way out of this crisis or narcan our way out of this crisis. What we can do is come together and give facts or information so people can make an informed decision if they choose to use an illicit substance."
Minnesota saw an 8 percent decrease in overall drug overdose deaths in 2023 according to the Minnesota Department of Health which released preliminary data in early October.
Drug overdose deaths decreased from 1,384 to 1,274 marking the first time since 2018 that the state has seen a drop in total overdose deaths among residents.
That decrease included opioid-involved deaths, but most fatal overdoses (70 percent) involved synthetic opioids such as fentanyl.
"There's a wide range of threats and fentanyl is being used in almost all illicit street drugs because it's cheaper to produce, more potent, and more addictive," added Hein. "People go out in search of fentanyl who may be in active substance use disorder. But then there's the unsuspecting kid who might take a pill at a party that a friend hands him. They might think it's a party pill, but it has two milligrams of fentanyl in it and it kills him."
Tuesday's program at North Branch High Schools is in partnership with the Chisago County Opioid Advisory Council and North Branch Community Education. Funding for the event comes from a Chisago County opioid grant.
Speakers for the evening include individuals from M Health Fairview, Chisago County Sheriff's Office, individuals in recovery and those who've lost family members to fentanyl.
There will also be recovery experts and counselors.
"The foundation tries to use younger people to share our messages with younger people because we know they will listen to their peers before they listen to me," Hein said. "When they see the picture of my son and the other parents' children on posters we display when doing these events, they're brought to their knees. It's really not my message. It's that I'm bringing my son with me and they see they're just like them."
Tuesday's One Pill Can Kill event runs from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. with the program running from 6:15 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. in the school's cafeteria commons area.