Suddenly and without warning, the most dangerous global drug has finally reached one of the humblest counties in Tennessee.  It’s in DeKalb County, Tennessee.  It’s our little, incorporated, self-reliant county, located in middle Tennessee, approximately 65 miles southeast of Nashville, Tennessee, the state’s capital.

FENTANYL. 

Remember.  It’s now the number one casual drug in popularity in DeKalb County, Tennessee, bypassing heroin and marijuana. And, it can be lethal within seconds of usage.

However, “We’ve changed” in our overall combatant of drugs and recovery, said Sheriff Patrick Ray during a recent interview.

More than 20-years-ago, I wrote a journalistic article for the former DeKalb County Times weekly newspaper.  At that time, many details concerning drug withdrawals were rampant in the local correctional institution, the DeKalb County Jail Complex.   Vividly, I remember interviewing a female prisoner arrested for illegal drug sales, use and consumption, with the resale charges added.  Imprisoned and addicted to methamphetamines, she countered her meth addiction withdrawals by sucking bodily meth blisters until she sucked a minute amount of the drug stored in the blister.  For a moment, I wanted to vomit!  And, believe it or not, in 2023, jailed prisoners continue to suck meth from bodily sores, said Sheriff Ray.  Time has not eased this nauseating habit.

Today, many years later, much has changed and much has not.  The number one local drug is not methamphetamine, as it was 20-years-ago.  Today, it is the deadly Fentanyl, which is defined as follows:

” Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50-100 times stronger than morphine.  It was developed for pain management treatment of cancer patients, applied in a patch on the skin.  Because of its powerful opioid properties, Fentanyl is also diverted for abuse.  It is added to heroin to increase its potency.”  According to local reports, it is the Fentanyl/heroin mixture that is popular and favored in DeKalb County.

Patrick Ray, DeKalb County Sheriff, could not warn persons enough of Fentanyl’s strength.  Calmly, yet hugely concerned, the kind Sheriff said, “There is no step-down schedule for Fentanyl because of its strength.  It is so potent that even if breathed, death can be immediate.”

Methamphetamines are defined in mayoclinic.com and are: “Symptomatic drugs with more rapid and lasting effects – used illegally as a stimulus and a prescription drug.  Sheriff Ray further sternly elaborated, “A Fentanyl overdose is a direct jail to death journey.  There are no in-betweens.”

There has become a new savior to the drug problem in DeKalb County.  Ray said, “There is a new law that states that if you have a Fentanyl overdose, the seller of the drug can be charged with SECOND DEGREE MURDER.”  In detailed explicitly, “When a person is charged with second degree murder, the prosecutor does not have to prove the individual acted with malice. They only need to prove that they (seller) supplied someone with the drugs that killed them.  Penalties for conviction of “death by distribution” charges in Tennessee are extremely harsh,” wrote Knoxville Criminal Defense Law editors. 

For further explanation, the Offense of “Drug Distribution Resulting in Death” is an offense usually punishable by a maximum of 20 years in prison.  However, a conviction for drug delivery resulting in death carries a potential prison sentence of 40 years, wrote the lawyers of Van Deer Veen, Hartshorn, and Levin, specialists in criminal law.

In addition, Sheriff Ray commented, “While we used to have meth labs throughout DeKalb County, they have been replaced by customers buying meth on-line, or purchasing in Atlanta, Georgia.”

Lori Webb, my long-time friend, exasperatedly said, “The majority of the imported drugs are being transported into the United States from Mexico. The ordered pills are coated with heroin or other illegal substances before they are sold.  Inadvertently, the buyers have no idea what type and form of drugs they purchased.”  The transportation venue is a Mexico to America drug transportation tunnel, used for drug smuggling.  “It’s an OPEN BORDER problem,” Webb continued.

In the event of a drug overdose, Ray encourages the afflicted “to get help fast!”  For others, the signs and symptoms of an overdose, along with alcohol poisoning, include: 

·     Nausea and vomiting

·     Severe stomach and abdominal pain

·     Diarrhea

·     Chest pain

·     Dizziness

·     Loss of balance

·     Loss of co-ordination

·     Being awake but unresponsive

·     Limp body

·     Seizures

·     Drowsiness and confusion

·     Agitation

·     Paranoia

·     Slow or erratic pulse

·     Difficulty breathing, shallow or erratic breathing, or NO breathing at all

·     Hallucinations

·     Visual disturbances

·     Chocking or gurgling sounds

·     Snoring deeply

·     Blue fingernails or lips

·     Blue or clammy face

·     Loss of consciousness

In the event of a drug overdose, you may find treatment facilities by calling:  1-800-662-4357.  Ironically, there are sixteen (16) treatment facilities within 25 miles of Smithville, Tennessee, while locals are taken to Cookeville. TN by a member of the local Sheriff’s Department.

On another educational note, Director of DeKalb County Schools, Patrick Cripps, said that marijuana was the number one drug in the high school.  So far, any of the stronger drugs available have not infiltrated D.C.H.S.  Locally, Cripps said, drugs in our schools are a minor predicament.  Should a student be found with major drugs in, or on, his or her body, the guidance officer/counselor will always have each student transferred to Cookeville. Tennessee for further evaluation and directional therapy.

Retired high school English teacher, Walteen Carter Parker, furthered and strengthened Ray’s above academic drug assessment:  "I really can’t say (regarding drugs at D.C.H.S.).  Administrators (Ray) can give you a definitive answer (see above).  Perhaps alcohol and marijuana.  I taught mostly seniors and they were focused on graduating and applying for scholarships.  Also, many already had jobs or were involved in sports or other extracurricular activities.  In addition, we had several organizations that gave students the opportunity to learn skills, excel, and be role models for younger students.”

Any drug destroys lives in varying ways.  It’s simple and so sad.

In conclusion, the following poem was written by Delaney Farrell, 23, just before she died of a heroin overdose in July, 2017.  It reads:

“Funny, I don’t remember no good dope days.  I remember walking for miles in a dope fiend haze.  I remember sleeping in houses that had no electric.  I remember being called a junkie, but I couldn’t accept it.  I remember hanging out in abandos (abandon buildings) that were empty and dark.  I remember shooting up in the bathroom and falling out at the park.  I remember nodding out in front of my sisters’ kid.  I remember not remembering half the things that I did.  I remember the dope man’s time frame, just ten more minutes.  I remember those days being terribly sick that I just wanted to end it.  I remember the birthday and holiday celebrations.  All the things I missed during my incarceration.  I remember overdosing on my bedroom floor.  I remember my sister’s cry and my dad having to break down the door.  I remember the look on his face when I opened my eyes, thinking today was the day that his baby had died.  I remember blaming myself when my mom decided to leave.  I remember the guilt I felt in my chest, making it harder to breathe.  I remember caring so much but not knowing how to show it.  And, I know to this day that she probably doesn’t know it.  I remember feeling like I’d lost all hope.  I remember giving up my body for the next bag of dope.  I remember only causing pain, destruction, and harm.  I remember my track marks the needles left on my arms.  I remember the slow break-up of my home.  I remember thinking my family would be better off without me and if I just left them alone.  I remember looking in the mirror at my sickly complexion.  I remember not recognizing myself.  I remember constantly obsessing over my next score (drug), but what I remember most is getting down on my knees and asking GOD to save me, because I don’t want to do this anymore.”

Delaney Farrell died of a heroin overdose the next day in 2017.

The above poem was read during her funeral service.