Fentanyl climbs list of leading death causes

NORFOLK -- Fentanyl overdoses are now the leading cause of death among Americans 18 to 45, according to Families Against Fentanyl. 

"You don't know how much fentanyl you're getting in a pill. There was a party a bunch of kids took it and some were fine but one kid died [...] They don't know how much they're taking," Lieutenant Gena Jones said.

Jones said the Nebraska State Patrol has seen an enormous increase in fentanyl the past two years.

"One of the things we're seeing right now is blues or "bluies" and M30s, laced with fentanyl. You might take it once and be fine -- but the next time it kills you." [...] It can be a young kid to a business person to the elderly," Jones said.

Fifty times stronger than heroin, it's treacherous for first responders, too.

"Say you have an overdose and they pull you out of the car, it can absorb into their skin and cause them to have an overdose. Yes, that's happened," Jones said.

"One of the EMTs touched the fentanyl themself and so they needed to get emergency services themselves," said Kain Sparr, PLMHP and drug and alcohol mental therapist at The Link addiction treatment house.

Norfolk Addiction treatment house The Link said they, too, are seeing more fentanyl.

"I'm noticing more in our area that it's often mixed with other substances," Jessica A. Sotelo said. "They don't have the knowledge that they're doing it."

It's why the Nebraska State Patrol is working with the Drug Enforcement Agency, United States Border Patrol, local police agencies, and special task forces.

"We might get a tip from Arizona [...] then coming in a local Sheriff's office makes a stop and says it wasn't suspicious enough to stop, and eventually we get enough intel to make a case," Jones said. She said NSP look for myriad signs such as air fresheners and nervous behavior. "If we can't get a handle on it [...] it's gonna devastate our youth," Jones said.

The state patrol said the best solution is education, and for users to at least have narcan available. Jones points out that even those who want to get help are often facing counseling centers that don't have room for more patients.