SANTA CRUZ — Police detectives are investigating an “alarming” drug case that left a 12-year-old girl overdosing on fentanyl in a city park, authorities said.
Emergency responders called shortly after 3:30 p.m. Feb. 19 to a restroom at Depot Park, where they discovered the young girl unconscious and in need of the opioid-overdose antidote naloxone, according to Santa Cruz Deputy Police Chief Jon Bush.
“Obviously a very rare and alarming incident for one, a 12-year-old to be getting their hands on and using fentanyl and two that there’s people out there willing to give or sell to people that young,” Bush said. Related Articles
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Fentanyl is a powerful, synthetic, short-acting narcotic drug, used in medical settings for severe pain and as a general anesthetic. The opioid painkiller is many times more powerful than heroin and frequently appears as an illegal street drug mixed with other substances. Fentanyl overdose-related deaths in Santa Cruz County have been on the rise since mid-2020, with related deaths beginning to skew toward younger age groups in 2022, according to a presentation given by Santa Cruz County Medical Pathologist Dr. Stephany Fiore at December’s annual county drug trends forum.
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Source:: The Mercury News