By Bruce Karnick

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When people think of drug overdoses, they think of famous people like Jim Belushi, Chris Farley, Minnesota’s own Prince, former MN Wild player Derek Boogaard, Amy Winehouse, Michael Jackson and countless other celebrities. The thought of it happening here in Hastings is, ‘not Hastings, that would never happen here.’ We like to think the bad things happening around the world do not affect us here in our little town.

That thought process needs to change, and it needs to change now. Bad things happen in every town, no matter how deep we try to stick our heads in the sand. Does that make you feel uncomfortable? Imagine being a parent that has lost a 19-year-old child to a fentanyl overdose. Unfortunately, parents like Bridget Norring do not have to imagine. Her son Devin died in April of 2020 due to fentanyl overdose. Fellow Hastings resident, Danielle Mamer, lost the 19-year-old daughter of her best friend on January 12 of 2021. Natalia Arreguin and Devin Norring both gone before they were 20, both from fentanyl overdoses, both still with open investigations as to how they ingested fentanyl and where the pills came from.

The questions of how they ingested the fentanyl are there because drug dealers are mixing fentanyl into other drugs to increase the high. They are also manufacturing fentanyl pills to look like other drugs. According to the US Drug Enforcement Administration, fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 80100 times stronger than morphine and it was developed for pain management treatment of cancer patients, applied in a patch on the skin. The effects of fentanyl are like other opioids, the largest being slowed respiration. Those that overdose die due to respiratory failure.

What are the signs of an overdose? Snoring is a big sign, combined with irregular breathing. Many people do not realize there is a drug overdose because they think their friend is just ‘sleeping it off’. Additionally, cold and clammy skin, changes in pupillary size, blueish or greyish lips and skin are all signs of overdose. If there is any thought that a person could be overdosing, it is vital that emergency services be called immediately.

Both Norring and Arreguin died from fentanyl overdose, but it is believed they thought they were taking something else. Norring had a horrible tooth pain but was not able to get in and see a dentist for a few days. The belief is, he thought he was getting oxycodone from an acquaintance, it turned out, he was given a pill that was entirely fentanyl. The amount of fentanyl in his system was enough to kill several adults. It is believed that Arreguin also thought she was getting a different opioid. The use of illegal drugs is not a game, kids are dying from this, in Hastings. But how are they getting the drugs?

“I know Devin got his off of an alleged pill dealer here in town via Snapchat. Snapchat is a drug dealers paradise. I mean, we’ve seen countless advertisements on Snapchat from these alleged dealers in town. We recorded it non-stop, and they’re still on there today,” explained Norring.

Norring was even brought into meet with Snapchat executives as part of a nationwide group. According to Norring, during the meeting, the VP of global communications expressed they had no idea that Snapchat was a platform for drug dealing.

These are just two examples of how drugs and drug overdose affect the community of Hastings. Local law enforcement does have drug taskforce teams, but parents and the community need to step in long before law enforcement gets involved. Have those difficult conversations now while the kids are around to hear them, have those conversations before its too late. Not sure how to have them? Google ‘how to talk to teens about drugs’ and a plethora of sites come up. Reach out to your church or reach out to the United Way. The United Way of Hastings has a great program “Helping Kids Succeed – The Hastings Way”. An outreach program lead by Jane Neumiller-Bustad.

Neumiller-Bustad has a pile of online resources saved up to help parents and kids. Unfortunately, there are multiple factors when dealing with chemical dependencies, so listing them in an article would not do the options justice.

Bringing awareness to this problem is key, talking about this problem is key, but it’s not easy. That is where the ceremony comes into play. International overdose awareness day is generally the last day of August. In Hastings, there is an event planned for Monday, August 30 at 7:00 p.m. at the upper deck of the parking ramp across from the Confluence. Everyone is invited to join. The event is a collaboration between the City of Hastings, Confluence Development LLC, the United Way of Hastings, and Hastings Parents and Citizens.

There will be a short program to recognize, raise awareness and educate on the effects of drug overdose. At the end of the event, the cupolas on the Confluence will be lit purple to bring attention to this growing problem. To learn more about the event, contact the United Way of Hastings at 651-4383337 or visit www.unitedwayofhastings. org.

Devin Norring lost his life to Fentanyl in April of 2020.

Photo Submitted.

Natalia Arreguin lost her life to Fentanyl in January of 2021. Photo Submitted.