Fentanyl problem in southeast Wisconsin; leaders target issue's root
RACINE, Wis. - We all know fentanyl is a huge problem. But what is the solution? A discussion in Racine on Friday, Feb. 11 aimed to target the root of the issue.
According to Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling, fentanyl-related deaths were up 20% in 2021. The trend continues in 2022 – there have been five overdose deaths in January alone.
On Friday, Congressman Bryan Steil stressed fentanyl seizures at the border have increase 1000% year over year. He said more need to be done – including an act of Congress.
On March 11, the legal classification of fentanyl expires. Stein said Congress needs to act to classify fentanyl as a "schedule 1 drug" – a drug that has no medical use and can be abused.
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"I don’t think everyone appreciates what a small amount of fentanyl can do. We have a sign behind us showing us two milligrams of fentanyl is that size compared to a penny and that amount of fentanyl is enough to kill a person," Steil said.
Bryan Steil
Sheriff Schmaling also spoke about the importance of drug awareness education – starting in middle school on up.
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