GREAT FALLS — Friday marked Fentanyl Awareness Day, and in Great Falls, community members gathered at West Bank Park to honor lives lost to the drug and learn about its dangers.
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Rosie Kuska, The Sober Life program manager, organized the event. For her, the issue is personal.
"I've lost friends to fentanyl. So this event's really special to me, and I've seen the effects that it's had on the community," Kuska said.
Kuska said the drug's toll on her own generation has been devastating.
"There's been three people just in my age group in their 20s that have died in just the last couple of years," Kuska said.
Attendees heard personal testimonials, received information from EMS about trends they are seeing, and listened to a speaker address the drug's dangers.
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, fentanyl deaths have declined over the past few years, but the drug remains the leading cause of death among Americans aged 18-45.
One of the most alarming aspects of fentanyl is how it can be concealed in other drugs.
"You could hit a friend's vape, it could have fentanyl, you could smoke a bowl of weed and it could have fentanyl... It's not standardized. It's not something that people are watching and making carefully. So it's getting put into tons of other drugs as well," Kuska said.
Beth Price, the substance abuse prevention specialist and program manager for the Alliance for Youth, uses an analogy when speaking with groups — especially teens — about the unpredictability of fentanyl mixing with other drugs.
"It's like making a batch of chocolate chip cookies. You can mix the batter really good, but you're still going to get a cookie with four chips and a cookie with ten chips. You just don't know," Price said.
Kuska said there are concrete steps the community can take to stay safe.
"We can carry Narcan. Have Narcan available. Have it in your house, make sure you know how to use it. It's super easy to use," Kuska said.
Kuska also emphasized the importance of compassion over judgment for those struggling with addiction.
"Those that are struggling with addiction are just like all of us with our different struggles. So giving people grace and loving people through it and just standing beside them so they know they're not alone and that when they want to get help or help them find help. But don't let anybody be alone in this," Kuska said.
The event concluded with a walk to the historic 10th Street Bridge, which was lit up in honor of those who have died from fentanyl overdoses.
