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On the evening of April 17, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized more than three million fentanyl pills. The pills were a distinct color, blue. They were hidden in a shipment of green beans inspected at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry facility.
Fentanyl is often sold as fake prescription pills known as "M30s" online via apps, social media, and on the street. Drug users typically think the pills are Oxycodone. Usually, these drugs contain fentanyl. However, sometimes they are pure fentanyl, like in this particular case.
These pills are usually round tablets and often light blue. Rainbow colors have also been seized in the past. Blue pills, however, remain the most popular. These blue pills have also been sold as Molly and other club drugs.
A driver was bringing a tractor-trailer, purportedly a shipment of green beans. The Customs officer did what they called a "non-intrusive inspection," according to the press release. However, something was off, so they brought the drug dog in to sniff.
The dogs were successful, helping the officers stop 776 pounds of fentanyl in California. The narcotics are worth 221 million dollars on the streets.
"This seizure provides insight and displays how our officers work together in collaboration to keep this dangerous drug off the streets," said Rosa Hernandez, Port Director for the Otay Mesa Cargo Facility, said in a press release.
Much of the drugs that enter this country come through ports and borders with Mexico.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) uses various methods and technologies to combat drug smuggling and other criminal activities at the border. For example, they typically inspect vehicles and cargo. Drug sniffing dogs are a standard tool, and other intelligence methods they don't disclose often help with seizures. However, smugglers constantly adapt their strategies and tactics, and drug trafficking remains a significant challenge at many border crossings.
The smuggler will be charged for attempting to smuggle narcotics and is currently in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Fake blue pills are an ongoing danger to people who use drugs. Sold on the street or via apps, these pills are almost always purported to be something other than fentanyl. Yet they are fentanyl, or contain fentanyl, pretty much 100% of the time, according to the DEA. In addition, agencies in the U.S. continue to seize drugs on the border, yet they still sweep the nation and make it to the streets.
Blue fentanyl pills are often sold as Oxycontin, Molly, or other drugs that are nowhere nearly as strong as fentanyl itself. Because of the danger, multiple campaigns in the public health industry are trying to get the word out that "one pill can kill." Pills sold on apps such as WhatsApp, Signal, or Telegram often make it into the hands of drug users who are what doctors term "opioid naïve."
When a non-opioid user takes fentanyl, an opioid that is 50-100 times the strength of morphine, their bodies can't handle it. Drug overdoses slow respiration and make it so the user can't wake up. Narcan, an opioid-overdose reversal drug, can work to save lives if drug users carry them. San Diego now has free dispensers to help people reverse overdoses in areas known for drug activity.
People who get sober have challenges and temptations. Because of this, many people decide that a group home or sober living house is the best option for them to begin their life drug-free. We're here to help you find community and build trust and confidence as you continue living without substances. Give us a call to learn more about what our homes offer.
All humans who get quality sleep remember their dreams from time to time. For people new to recovery, dreams can be pretty intense and vivid. As your body adjusts to life without substances, you may have a lot more dreams than usual or remember them more clearly. Some people can describe in vivid detail dreams where they feel panic, loss, or fear. For people with addiction, common themes are relapsing or using their substance of choice.
Dreams like these can be startling, so it’s important to understand what these dreams mean and how to respond to them.
If you’re dreaming about getting high or drinking while in recovery from a substance use disorder, it’s important to know that it’s perfectly normal. Of course, dreaming about your substance of choice will make you feel uncomfortable. Remember, yes, you’re sober now.
Addiction and getting high or drunk was once a big part of your life. So big that these activities basically took over. It’s normal to dream about these situations because many dreams are built on memories of people, places, and things.
Your mind may also be trying to work through emotions that have to do with your addiction. After all, experts say that our dreams have a lot to do with problem-solving, even if they distress us. Your mind is aware that you want to stay sober, but may feel you struggling with that desire sometimes.
If you dream that you used your substance of choice, you may wake up with a craving or feel triggered to use. This feeling can be scary, but if it happens, it’s time to go through the tools you’ve learned. Give your sponsor a call or send them a text. Or get straight to a 12-step meeting. If you feel triggered to use, you have a choice today. Just remember, this too shall pass. Keep doing the next right thing, and you can stay sober.
It’s normal to have a craving, dream, or intense feeling related to substance use every once in a while. However, you don’t have to act on it. Instead, work the steps and reach out to your network if you’re feeling vulnerable.
Many people new to recovery find that sober living helps them branch out in recovery while beginning to reclaim independence. In addition, a sober living situation can help you by providing community and a shared sense of purpose.
Are you interested in learning more about your sober living options? Give us a call at 760-216-2077, and we’re happy to help answer any questions.
What is Kratom? Well, since its not scheduled nor illegal, you don't have to worry until something horrible happens. Such as the suicide of this teen, or the huge amounts being sold as supplements to those seeking a natural high (or in common terms anxiety relief). Found at supplement stores (even gas stations) this substance cannot be tested in a typical 12 panel, you have to send off to a lab to confirm the blood level. It is very important to begin attending the production, manufacturing and importing of this substance as well as being aware of its effects. Any information is gladly appreciated at [email protected]
https://www.yahoo.com/parenting/whats-kratom-parents-speak-out-after-drug-drives-119458538452.html
https://www.bytheseasandiego.com
And finally colleges begin to understand that a wonderful way to keep some students from dropping out is to ensure their safety by supporting and even creating recovery housing near their campuses. Universities listen: alcohol and drugs are an epidemic in your campuses. Recovery is a theme that needs to be spread so that prevention can be the true theme to speak about. Sober residences: these will be the future to the greek system that presently hinders the educational voyage.
http://www.noozhawk.com/article/the_haven_to_open_as_sober_living_for_isla_vista_students_20150221
And as we wrap this year, may we know that Holidays for some means hopefully being able to let go of the heaviest burden of them all: addiction. With heroin at its all time high, both in availability and low cost, this once forgotten but now oversupplied drug is arresting the development of many of our youths in this country. No, not only a specific group, but all. It has been thought that it only affects those who have broken upbringings, but it is now understood that it is not a moral decision but a vulnerable target in one of the most frail moments in life. What begins as playing with pharmaceuticals turns into snorting or smoking, and eventually the fear of the needle leaves as time goes by, making IV inevitable. Lets look to solutions, to prevention and to leaving the stigma and the fear. Heres to making a change in 2015, to speaking about it, and bringing more information and recovery stories to the table.
http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Heroin-addiction-s-stranglehold-on-adolescents-5981314.php
Aaah, so perhaps there is some science behind the caffeine overload of many in early recovery from alcohol and substance use disorders? Definitely worth throwing in more research. Starbucks wanting to sponsor a double blind study in early addiction?
http://www.scienceworldreport.com/articles/19156/20141120/could-coffee-treat-cocaine-addiction.htm
Colombia, a world known drug capital, now seeks to decriminalize marijuana in an effort to change the way their population confronts use and its legal implications. It seems that the 'war' against drugs seems to be a fight against a larger giant, and as we move from decriminalization to attending the underlying factors of use, abuse, addiction and illegal and informal economies, time will show us these new trends in approaching our legal systems and how they interact in our world. Although having 'up to 20 plants per household' seems a little outlandish, I guess you have to start somewhere. A very brave step towards change yet research and statistics will prevail. It will be interesting to see the societal impacts and overall interaction with borders and trade.
