Every state is a border state – WisPolitics

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Part II: Fentanyl is invading our communities

I want to continue my thoughts from my previous column on the consequences of our country’s open borders policy. The previous column was about the increase in crime in some rural areas of our state caused by illegal immigrants. The next topic we need to discuss is one of our nation’s deadliest poisons entering our border: fentanyl.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid prescribed to treat severe pain. The potency of fentanyl is 50 times more potent than heroin and up to 100 times more potent than morphine. It is illegally added to ‘street drugs’ such as heroin, cocaine and counterfeit pills. Unfortunately, the potential of adding fentanyl to any of these substances can cause death.

In Washington County, our medical examiner has recorded nine such incidents of fentanyl-related overdoses this year, with four other related cases still pending. The count was 27 cases in 2023 and 36 in 2022. In Waukesha County, 41 cases were reported as deaths involving fentanyl last year. In 2022 there were 55 cases and in 2021 there were as many as 84 deaths due to fentanyl. Truly heartbreaking!

I was surprised to see that a mainstream media news program, 60 Minutes, covered this topic last Sunday. They describe fentanyl as the “scourge of our time.” They reported that more than 70,000 Americans died last year from this poison. Why? It is cheap to produce, easy to smuggle and highly addictive.

Once again the path for this drug is weak border policies from Biden and Harris. Much of the fentanyl is produced in Mexico by the drug cartels using the chemical compounds supplied by China. As a student of history, I remember the Opium Wars of the 19th century. Britain sought global dominance by weakening the Chinese population with cheap, highly addictive drugs, opium. Today is no different. China, with the help of the Mexican cartels, is destroying our next generation of Americans and productive members of society with a cheap and highly addictive drug, fentanyl.

The days of experimenting with street drugs are over. It can end your life by taking a pill. Please be vigilant with your friends and family to be aware of the plague that is here. It is incumbent on all of us to be aware of this drug and discourage anyone you know or love from taking a random pill at a party or experimenting with a drug they think is safe , because fentanyl can be added easily and no one will notice until they stop responding and are dead.

– Knodl, R-Germantown, represents the 8th Senate District.