Jonathan Leyvas opened the lid of a dumpster on a hot July morning in Mesa, Arizona, hoping to find something useful or valuable inside.
Like many people without homes in metro Phoenix, he lives day to day. Leyvas, 32, washes cars or mows lawns for a few bucks, scrounging for something to eat and to help him buy drugs. He planned to smoke methamphetamine later, he said, adding that he believes his drug use is the reason for his homelessness.
He’s familiar with the signs of heat exhaustion — he’s experienced it many times.
“The heat, like, messes with your senses and stuff,” he said. “You’ll be dizzy, like hallucinating. Mad all the time.”
Like others interviewed for this article, Leyvas had no idea that meth is much worse than fentanyl when used in hot environments.
“I don’t think it’s as dangerous as blues,” he said, using the street name for fentanyl pills derived from their distinctive color.
Scientific studies and Maricopa County’s Heat-Related Illness and Death Dashboard show this belief is inaccurate.