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Efforts to educate people on the dangerous truth of fentanyl

In recent cases, police departments are seeing drugs like marijuana and Xanax laced with fentanyl.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In the last week, we've seen two separate incidents involving fentanyl hit the Charlotte area. A one-year-old in Mooresville almost died from the drug and two people were arrested and charged in Gaston County after a girl died from an overdose in September. 

It's a problem sweeping the nation. The National Institute of Drug Abuse showed that fentanyl-related death continues to climb. It reported over 56,000 deaths in 2020. 

The DEA reported most of the drug is making its way in from countries like China and Mexico. In recent cases, police departments are seeing drugs like marijuana and Xanax laced with fentanyl. That's something all too familiar for Debbie Dalton. 

"We never saw this coming," Dalton said. “I never knew it would touch our world, I had never heard of fentanyl and neither had Hunter.” 

Her son Hunter died of a fentanyl overdose back in 2016 at just 23 years old. 

"Hunter used a recreational drug that he got from a very good friend," Dalton said. "They both did not know that fentanyl was in it.” 

In the wake of her son's death, she founded HDLife, an organization to spread awareness and bring to light the scary truths of the drug. 

“I go to schools I’m speaking all over, they have no idea, they may have heard generically about fentanyl, they have no idea they can take half a Xanax, and it may be the last decision they make, there needs to be mandated updated education in the schools," Dalton said. 

She advocated for parents to start those difficult conversations. 

The Assistant US Attorney for the District of South Carolina, Elliot Davis, said his office is seeing more criminal cases involving the drug.  

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