At our most recent meeting, we heard from Edward Logan, the Group Supervisor of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Diversion Group in Norfolk, Virginia. Their office covers Southeastern Virginia, and their work is comprised of the enforcement of pharmaceutical controlled substance laws. Additionally, they provide community outreach, which is how we were able to schedule Edward.
We learned that in 2021, nearly 108,000 lives were lost in the United States to drug poisoning and overdose, with fentanyl and methamphetamine driving this record increase. Virginia recorded 2656 deaths, which was a rise of 15% from the previous year. Today, drugs are often sold through social media versus through drug dealers on street corners. With these new methods, it’s much easier to obtain drugs, making it more difficult to catch and prosecute drug dealers.
Did you know a lethal dosage of fentanyl can be placed on the tip of a pencil? Pretty scary stuff! Making matters even more complicated, the ingredients of fentanyl are made in China, then shipped to Mexico, where it’s manufactured and sent to America for distribution. Manufacturing techniques are also advancing, making it more and more difficult to tell the difference between prescription oxycodone and counterfeit pills. To be 100% safe, only take pills that were prescribed and came from a pharmacy. Thank you, Edward, for an informative presentation.
If you want to learn more about the community, you’re invited to an upcoming lunch. Each week, we invite speakers to inform us and share their mission and the impact they have on the community.