BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — Local law enforcement teamed up with “Families Supporting Families” at Broken Arrow High School (BAHS) on Thursday night to talk with parents and students about the dangers of fentanyl.
Broken Arrow is not immune from the issue of drug overdoses.
Police said they have responded to 30 drug overdose calls in 2023 and EMS deployed Narcan to 195 patients in 2022.
The message from grieving families on Thursday was, fentanyl is not going away and education is key, along with the use of naloxone, which reverses opioid overdoses.
Rebekah Brown, who now lives in Sand Springs, lost her 18-year-old son Cole Brown in September 2021. He died in California to a fake Percocet laced with fentanyl that he had purchased.
She’s now on a mission with the group “Families supporting Families” to share her story in hopes of educating others and encouraging everyone to carry naloxone which reverses opioid overdoses.
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Those who attended Thursday night’s fentanyl forum had a chance to learn more about fentanyl in Broken Arrow.
“It is coming in either as fentanyl or mixed in with other illicit drugs like heroin or methamphetamine and illicit pills,” said Sgt. Eric Nester with the Broken Arrow Police Department.
In 2021, fentanyl overdose deaths were the second leading cause of overdose deaths after meth in Oklahoma.
Nester said the biggest issue is that unless a drug comes directly from a pharmacy, you don’t know what you’re getting.
Brown said if you text “Naloxone” to 55155, the state will ship it to you for free.