re: DEA to ban kratom

quote:

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There have been 3 major overdose episodes in Kentucky within the past few weeks because heroin is being spiked with fentanyl.

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I lost a very, very close friend to this. She and I were roomies in Wilmington and we were moving to another house.

She had battled addiction for a good while, but she'd been attending NA, had a sponsor, was working the steps, involved in service work...she was really doing well. Or so we all thought. The day we were to be completely moved, she went to the downstairs bathroom and was in there for a long time before I realized she had not come out. I banged and banged on the door but got no response and I had that sick, sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.

I managed to break the door down somehow and she was slumped over on the floor, needle still in between her toes (that's how she had been able to hide the track marks by banging between her toes) and vomit everywhere..and she was cyanotic, unresponsive with no respiratory effort nor pulse.

I called 911 and being a trauma nurse is what allowed me to compartmentalize her being one of my best friends so that I was able to not freak the frick out and perform CPR until EMS arrived.

Toxicology reports showed it was, indeed, black tar heroin spiked with fentanyl. I have zero doubt that she had no idea it contained fentanyl.

She was placed on life support until her mom arrived from Pennsylvania. Allie was brain dead. Her death did save 5 other people from organ donation, so part of her lives on thru others.

Miss her everyday, though.