For the month of January, I will be dedicating the blog entries to Dustin —because both his birthdate and the day he left us fall in January.
If you know my story, then you probably know at least some of his. But his full story, at least as I knew him, deserves to be written. Spoken. Remembered.
Dustin Gotham was poisoned by a fentanyl pill he believed was a pain pill.
He was taking it for severe knee pain while desperately needing surgery. Without insurance, a specialist appointment was months away. He shouldn’t have gotten the pills—but that did not mean he deserved to die.
That distinction absolutely matters. What happened to Dustin wasn’t recklessness. It wasn’t an accident. It wasn’t a suicidal overdose. It was poisoning. It was murder.
However, before I share more of Dustin’s story—before we talk about the grief, his legacy, his tragedy, and the justice he deserves through the month—I want to start with something terrifying but absolutely necessary: the facts.
This topic also feels especially relevant this week, as fentanyl was recently labeled a Weapon of Mass Destruction under an executive order signed by Donald Trump. The stated purpose of this order is to highlight the scope and severity of harm this substance is causing nationwide.
Politics do not belong in this site, and I will not be sharing my personal political views here. What I will share is the information I found while researching this designation, what it actually means, and how it may impact communities. All sources are provided.
Misclassification of Deaths: Why the Data Can Be Misleading
Many fentanyl poisonings are officially categorized as “suicidal overdoses,” and not investigated as a potential murder as they should be. In countless cases, the individual did not knowingly ingest fentanyl, had no idea it was even near them, the substance was believed to be something else, and there was absolutely no intent to self-harm of die. They were poisoned by a lethal substance concealed in another product, unknowingly to the customer. That is not a suicidal overdose. That is murder.
How these deaths are labeled matters, because misclassification distorts public understanding of the victim and circumstances, influences policy responses, and reduces accountability for distributors who poison people by lying about what they are selling.
The Scale of the Fentanyl Crisis in the United States (The Facts)
Fentanyl has quite literally reshaped the drug crisis in this country. The data could not make that more clear.
- In recent years, the numbers of drug overdoses has reached approximately 110,000 people per year; 10 years ago the average was approx. 45,000; 20 years ago, the average was approx. 25,000.
- Roughly 70–75% of all overdose deaths now involve synthetic opioids, mainly fentanyl.
- Only 10 years ago did Fentanyl start entering the entering the supply of synthetic opioid pills. Synthetic opioid deaths were approx. 3,000 deaths a year 20 years ago.Today, there are approximately more than 70,000 deaths in recent years (since 2013, deaths involving synthetic opioids have increased more than 500%)
- Fentanyl is the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18–45.
- Drug overdose is now the #1 cause of death for adults under 50 – It surpasses deaths from car accidents, firearms, and suicide in that age group.
- On average, nearly 300 people die every single day in the U.S. from drug overdose. Since 2021, hundreds of thousands of Americans have died from Fentanyl. In many states, fentanyl now accounts for the majority of all accidental deaths, not just drug-related fatalities.
The “Weapon of Mass Destruction” Designation — Per Research
As mentioned, President Donald Trump has publicly called for fentanyl to be treated as a weapon of mass destruction in terms of enforcement and national security framing, emphasizing its extreme lethality and the scale of harm it has caused. This framing relies on existing federal law and policy authority and does not create new WMD charges for people who use drugs.
Per the research I could find, this does not mean people who use the drugs will be charged as terrorists. Laws involving weapons of mass destruction require intent to use a weapon to cause harm. Instead, the purpose is to reflect fentanyl’s extreme lethality and capacity for mass casualties. Two milligrams—an amount smaller than a few grains of salt—can be fatal, which places fentanyl closer to a chemical threat than a traditional narcotic.
The classification is intended to expand enforcement tools against large-scale trafficking and manufacturing network, increase penalties for distribution, and frame fentanyl as both a public-health and national-security emergency. If this is truly how they use this, then I absolutely agree with it. If they abuse it and target victims – that truly scares me. Time will tell.
I am very concerned that this would will start to target addicts. And an addict does not deserve death row. And most of this info is coming straight from the same source that put the order in place, so take it with a grain of salt. I am interested to see if this is truly how they treat this order.
Why Awareness, Harm Reduction, and Facts Matter
Public-health data consistently shows that naloxone (Narcan) distribution reduces overdose deaths, drug-checking tools (such as fentanyl strips) reduce accidental poisonings, and education and awareness increase emergency response and survival rates. These strategies do not encourage drug use—they reduce death. People cannot recover if they are dead. That is why this post intentionally centers on the facts, the enormous scale of the crisis, and our reality. Understanding the magnitude of this crisis has to come before I get into grief and Dustin’s full story because this crisis does not discriminate.
If you read nothing else, read this: Fentanyl does not care who you are, where you came from, if it’s your first pill, if you are a good person, or whether you “deserve” help. In some cases, it only takes half a pill, maybe even less—one moment, one mistake—and there is no second chance; your gone. There is no discrimination. It could be your doctor, your teacher, your mother, your siblings, your best friend, your child….. your fiance. Please do not play Russian Roulette with your life. You deserve better.
If you or someone you know has a problem, try to get them help if they will accept it. I have provided some resources below if you or someone you know could use it. In my opinion, it’s important to not enable the situation, but its also important for them to know that they have support. Support is not enabling if they are doing the right thing and the supporter is educated, sets boundaries, and keeps those boundaries.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance use—or would like resources related to prevention and harm reduction—help is available below.
Talk to you next week; thanks for reading!
Also, I wanted to share a YouTube documentary I had discovered in my journey to find justice for Dustin. I emailed close to 50 people at least in this round in particular, with the director in the opening scene being the only one to respond, and got me in contact with the Sheriff in the video discussing the potency. He absolutely agreed it was murder and seemed excited to help me. However, contact was somehow lost and I have not been able to contact him for a good deal of time now.
Even though that was not successful, I deeply appreciated even the response, because it was the most traction that I have made in comparison to my other attempts. And honestly, even without that fact, this is truly one of the most moving and heartbreaking videos I had seen related to the fentanyl epidemic. If you have the time, please watch the following short documentary. It is about 20 minutes, and is called “Dead on Arrival.” It is extremely moving and truly shows how dangerous fentanyl can be:
Resources: If You or Someone You Love Is Struggling With Fentanyl
Help is available. You are not alone, and support does not require shame, punishment, or perfection.
📞 Immediate Help & Treatment Referrals (U.S.)
SAMHSA National Helpline
📞 1-800-662-HELP (4357)
🌐 https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline
- Free, confidential, 24/7 support
- Treatment referrals for substance use and mental health
- Available in English and Spanish
🧠 Crisis Support (24/7)
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
📞 Call or text 988
🌐 https://988lifeline.org
- For anyone in emotional distress or crisis
- You do not have to be suicidal to reach out
💊 Naloxone (Narcan) Access
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – Naloxone Information
🌐 https://www.cdc.gov/overdose/prevention/naloxone.html
- Naloxone reverses opioid overdoses
- Available over the counter in many pharmacies
- Community programs often provide it free of charge
🧪 Fentanyl Test Strips (Drug Checking)
National Institute on Drug Abuse – Harm Reduction
🌐 https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/harm-reduction
- Detect fentanyl in pills and other substances
- Reduce accidental poisoning
- Often available through local health departments or harm-reduction programs
🌍 Local Help (Recommended)
- County health departments
- Community health clinics
- Harm-reduction organizations
- Local recovery or peer-support programs
(Local resources often provide naloxone, testing supplies, and referrals at no cost.)
Leave a Reply! I would love to hear your thoughts on todays topic!