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Transcript/Script
KILLER FENTANYL: ADDICTION (Pt 1 of 5)
HEADLINE: Synthetics Opioids Leading Cause of US Overdose Deaths
TEASER: High schooler who started taking pain killers after an injury dies from counterfeit pill laced with fentanyl
PUBLISHED AT: 05/07/2023 at 5:39 pm
BYLINE: Natasha Mozgovaya
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: Sammamish, Washington
VIDEOGRAPHER: Natasha Mozgovaya
VIDEO EDITOR:
SCRIPT EDITORS: Mia Bush, MAS
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA original
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV __ RADIO __
TRT: 2:52
VID APPROVED BY: Reifenrath
TYPE: TVPKG
EDITOR NOTES: This is the first of a five-part series on fentanyl to rest in HFR ahead of combined release.))
((INTRO))
[[[The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says America’s leading cause of overdose deaths is synthetic opioids, mostly fentanyl, which can be up to 50 times stronger than heroin. U.S. law enforcement says illicit fentanyl is cheaply made from chemicals mostly coming from China, trafficked through Mexico, and then smuggled into the United States. From Seattle, VOA’s Natasha Mozgovaya looks at fentanyl in the state of Washington in a series of stories that starts with one teenager’s overdose.]]
((NARRATOR))
Lucas Beirer was active in his church youth group. He worked part time as a swim instructor and played high school football in this quiet community ((Mandatory courtesy: Beirer Family)) outside Seattle.
But when the 16-year-old hurt his back, his mother, Olga Davidov-Beirer, says he started taking pain killers. ((end courtesy)) She wasn’t overly worried at first, but says she made sure to discuss drug risks after one of Lucas’ classmates died of an overdose.
((Olga Davidov-Beirer, Lucas Beirer’s Mother))
“I talked to Lucas after the funeral even though I had no idea that Lucas buys pills. But I, I talked to him, and I said, ‘Lucas, I don't know what it is,’ because nobody was saying fentanyl, it was not clear, but I said, ‘I want to make sure that I'm not a mom who loses a child.’”
((NARRATOR))
((Mandatory courtesy: Beirer Family)
One month later, investigators say Lucas took what he thought was Percocet, a powerful painkiller. It was a counterfeit pill laced with fentanyl. His mother found him unresponsive on the first morning of the new school year. ((end courtesy))
((Olga Davidov-Beirer, Lucas Beirer’s Mother))
“I heard that from his friends, ‘It must be fentanyl, must be fentanyl,' and I'm like, ‘What is fentanyl?’”
((TEXT ON GRAPHIC: “Potentially lethal dose in 6 out of 10 fake pills – Source DEA lab analysis”))
((NARRATOR)) ((Mandatory CG: DEA))
Pharmaceutical fentanyl is approved for ((end courtesy)) treating severe pain. ((Mandatory CG: DEA)) Illicit fentanyl is often mixed with heroin or cocaine or used in counterfeit ((end courtesy)) pills like the one that killed Lucas. U.S. Drug Enforcement Agent Jacob Galvan says lab tests reveal potentially lethal fentanyl doses in six out of 10 fake pills.
((TEXT ON GRAPHIC: “Xanax” and “Fentanyl-laced pill”))
((Jacob Galvan, US Drug Enforcement Administration))
“We show it to our agents; they can't tell the difference. We show it to our laboratory people; they can't tell the difference. That's how good these things are made.”
((Olga Davidov-Beirer, Lucas Beirer’s Mother))
“I honestly can think it can happen to anyone, because I think that the profit is huge for fentanyl, and fentanyl can be dropped in anything. // Just everyone needs to be aware that, well, these things are sold or distributed on the street.”
((NARRATOR))
Since the deaths in this community, there are new school programs about the dangers of fentanyl and drug kits with Naloxone to help staff treat accidental overdoses.
((Jacob Galvan, Drug Enforcement Agency))
“We think the earliest we can get to a school, the better. We would be in grammar schools all the way up to colleges if they would have us because that's how important it is to get the message out of how deadly these pills are.”
((NARRATOR))
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says more than 90% of people 12 and older with a substance abuse disorder receive no treatment. Lucas’ family created a volunteer group to spread awareness about fentanyl risks, help families recognize warning signs and know where to turn for help.
((Natasha Mozgovaya, VOA News, Sammamish, Washington))
((ON CAM TAG))
In part two of Killer Fentanyl, VOA looks at law enforcements’ role in stopping the trafficking and production of the illicit synthetic opioid.
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)
Sammamish, Washington
Embargo DateMay 7, 2023 17:40 EDT
Byline
Natasha Mozgovaya, VOA News
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
