CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Clarksville Police Department is warning anyone who uses or knows someone who is a user of illicit drugs, like Heroin, of an increase of fentanyl based compounds in the community.
Members of the Clarksville Police Department's Special Operations Unit along with the 19th Judicial District Drug Task Force, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives executed multiple narcotics search warrants at 937 Shearor Street, 2708 Whitfield Road and 232 Millstone Circle in Clarksville, TN.
These search warrants came as a response to reports of multiple overdoses in our community.
An increase in overdoses and the conducted investigation have led the Clarksville Police Department to suspect there is an increased presence of fentanyl based compounds in Clarksville community.
These investigations are ongoing and further information may be released at a later time.
NewsChannel5 spoke with Brian Sullivan, who works at Addiction Campuses in Nashville. He says fentanyl is not only extremely addictive but it’s the deadliest.
Sometimes users don’t even know fentanyl is in the drug they’re using.
"The main message for people is when you buy something off the street, you have no idea what is in it, said Brian Sullivan, "it could instantly kill you."
Drug users can now test if fentanyl is in their drugs by using a new test strip . The tool is being used in hopes to combat fentanyl overdoses. You can obtain Fentanyl strips, free of charge, through the Overdose Lifeline.
A program that Justin Phillips founded in 2014, after her 20-year-old son Aaron, died from an opioid overdose.
"Individuals who do test their drugs are less likely to use the drugs. Or at the minimum, use less at that time would be considered harm reduction, at the least," said Phillips. "And don't use the same amount if you are gonna go ahead and use."
A report from the Journal of the American Medical Association found that fentanyl was involved in nearly half of the opioid related deaths.
The enormity of the problem drew this reaction from IUPUI professor Dr. Brad Ray who does research on substance abuse.
"The number one thing we need to focus on is medication assisted treatment" said Dr. Ray. "The number two thing is the distribution of nalaxone, and the number three thing is these drug testing devices."
If you are interested in obtaining fentanyl testing strips, you can call Overdose Lifeline: 844-554-3354.
If you or a loved one wants to look into more addiction recovery resources, you can access a confidential hotline by calling: 888-816-8415
You can also visit the Addiction Campuses website by clicking here.
