Drug Warning: “Don’t touch the powder”

He said drugs have been found in a local park and it is not uncommon for fleeing suspects to pitch baggies of methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin to get rid of evidence.

These baggies can contain white, black or brown powder.

Also, drug paraphernalia is often left behind by a user and these items can include spoons with charring, small packets of tin foil, syringes or needles and glass pipes, sometimes fashioned out of light bulbs.

“If you see something suspicious, call for help and wait there – but don’t touch anything,” said Williams.

He said it is very important that people leave any type of powder alone since only a few grains of fentanyl can be deadly. The synthetic opioid is up to 100 times stronger than morphine and cut into recreational drugs to make the batch stronger and to increase its volume.

According to Williams, if a person is not accustomed to taking opiates and then ingests fentanyl, it is easier for that individual to overdose.

Opioids are a class of drugs that include heroin as well as the prescription pain relievers Oxycodone, Hydrocodone, codeine, morphine, fentanyl and others.

Williams said local law enforcement officers now carry NARCAN (Naloxone) in patrol cars to counteract the effects of fentanyl in case they come in contact with the drug.

In conjunction with the law enforcement warning, the North Central Public Health District has released information about the symptoms of an overdose:

• When someone has overdosed on meth, he or she may be exceptionally hot and sweating profusely. The person may exhibit dizziness, chest pain, a fast heart rate or other cardiac symptoms.

• Symptoms of opiate overdose includes very slow breathing, or having it stop altogether. The person cannot be woken up from sleep, has a limp body, or is unable to speak. His or her eyes may have small pupils and the individual may make vomiting or gurgling noises.

The health district reminds people that, per Oregon law, you cannot be charged with a crime if you report a drug overdose. See ORS 475.898 at oregonlaws.org for more information.

To learn more about the issue, access drugabuse.gov or Oregon Health Authority Opioid Overdose & Misuse at: https://www.oregon.gov/oha/PH/PreventionWellness/SubstanceUse/opioids/Pages/index.aspx.

If you need help for yourself or someone you know, please call Mid-Columbia Center for Living at 541-296-5452 for help with addiction services or visit mccfl.org.