SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Families who have lost loved ones to fentanyl marched down Palm Avenue in Otay Mesa West on Saturday as part of the nationwide “Walk for Lives” event, aimed at raising awareness about the dangers of the powerful synthetic opioid.
Fentanyl is about 100 times stronger than morphine and is often mixed with illicit drugs, according to researchers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that fentanyl-related deaths have declined since early 2024, due in part to the widespread availability of Narcan, an over-the-counter nasal spray that can reverse overdoses if administered in time.
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For many at the march, the issue is personal.
“It was like my soul left for a few days after I found out he passed,” said organizer Stephanie Carrasco, whose son Nathaniel died in 2020 after taking a counterfeit Percocet pill laced with fentanyl. He was 20 years old and a father of two…