ORANGE BEACH AL: Alabama law requires a Coroner to be at least 25 years of age and attend 12 hours of continuing education a year. The continuing education is at the Coroner’s expense and not at the expense of the county, unless the county decides to pay it.
Today, March 19, 2024, in Orange Beach, Alabama, at Jacksonville State University, coroners and law enforcement attended continuing education. The course was RESPONDING TO FENTANYL AND OTHER DRUG TRENDS.
Coffee County Coroner Arnold Woodham, Chief Deputy Coroner Mark Kelley, Patrick Arnold; Houston County Coroner Robert Byrd; Dale County Coroner John Cawley, Chief Deputy Coroner Adam Bruhn, Deputy Coroner David Grubbs were all in attendance.
Educators said fentanyl often comes from Mexico into the United States in many different ways, often disguised under things such as gasoline tanks.
Today, the victims of overdose are no longer in the back alleys. They are your children, neighbors, friends, and co-workers. Today, 42% of the people respond they personally know someone who have died from an overdose.
METH creates severe mental illness.
METH – the use of meth for 5 years can cause cell death in the brain, memory loss, other potentially permanent problems. Using meth is like inflicting a traumatic brain injury on yourself.
The METH, in Atlanta Georgia, costs about $ 1,800 a pound. In Mexico, the price is about $ 150 a pound. Someone smoking METH gets it into their system in 7 to 10 seconds. Taking it orally, it takes 20 to 40 minutes to get into your system.
METH is in your blood for 4 to 6 hours. It contains an ingredient that makes you itch, so constant itchiness can be a sign of using. It makes a person overly frightened and paranoid. It makes one hear voices that are not really there, excessive sweating, nervous, and increases sexual activity.
Every 5 minutes someone dies from a drug overdose. The CDC has stated that drug overdose claims more lives then auto accidents.
In 2018 there was a drop in the number of deaths. That was the year NARCAN was introduced; it can be purchased over the counter for around $60. However, some think this product is their life saver, when that is not always the case.
The training also informed the Coroners of potential exposure which could cause symptoms that could cause their death and how to prevent exposure.
Coroners make less money then others, but have I laugh… no law degree required to be Attorney General; you can be elected Sheriff at age 18, but you can not buy alcohol, cigarettes or a gun, but you can command a 200-person department. You can not be Coroner until age 25, and continuing education is mandated. No education is required for a Sheriff.
