Arizona children dying from fentanyl at alarming rate

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — More children in Arizona are dying from exposure to the deadly drug fentanyl.

The Department of Child Safety says 34 Arizona kids under 5 years old died from the drug last year and that number is expected to rise.

Fentanyl has taken over the streets in the last several years. It’s cheap and very addictive.

Phoenix Police Sgt. Mayra Reeson worked in the narcotics unit for years.

She said it began circulating in the city back in 2017 and 2018.

“It was pretty scary when it first hit the market,” Sgt. Reeson said. “As a mother, it is the scariest thing.”

In the several years since, Sgt. Reeson says fentanyl has become the main drug that wiped out most of the other drugs, except for when they are laced with fentanyl.

“You cannot even experiment with drugs these days because we’ve seen so many families have heart-breaking results from that,” she said.

Several years ago, one of the pills would cost $10 or $15, according to Sgt. Reeson.

Now they cost about 50 cents and are easier for people to buy.

With more people having access to it, there’s a higher chance the deadly drug gets in the wrong hands, including kids.

“Innocent little babies crawling around and like to put things in their mouth. Innocent of picking up a pill on a floor,” Ken McKinley said. “It has very serious consequences because they have such little bodies.”

McKinley is the director of Childhelp. It’s a children’s advocacy center in Phoenix.

They help kids who go through traumatic experiences, including an overdose.

McKinley says right now about one child per week is going to a hospital emergency room because they are overdosing on fentanyl.

Narcan can save their lives, but too often, the kids do not survive.

“You’re paying the ultimate lesson if you lose a child to a drug overdose but aside from that, you would also be losing your freedom,” McKinley said.

Parents or caregivers can face serious charges of child abuse or child neglect if a child dies by overdosing.

Sgt. Reeson says to talk with your kids about the dangers of the drug and to stay away at all costs.

It doesn’t take much for a person to overdose.

If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, you can click/tap here for more resources.

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