Fentanyl is a deadly epidemic that is taking the lives of too many people in Hampton Roads and across the entire country.
Parents like Carolyn Weems know the excruciating pain that drugs can cause for a family after losing her daughter to heroin 10 years ago.
Weems, a Virginia Beach School Board member, is also an advocate and fighting to make change in the community.
The D.E.A. reports that there were over 415,000 pills seized in 2023 in Virginia, which was a 260 percent increase from the previous year.
The Virginia Health Department reports fentanyl caused or contributed to death in almost 76% of all fatal overdoses in the state in 2022.
“I’m frustrated because I think that we talk a lot, but our actions are way behind our talk in this particular crisis,” said Weems.
Weems is focused on getting a recovery school to the Hampton Roads region that would help young people struggling with addiction.
The drug crisis is keeping the D.E.A. busy.
Jarod Forget is the Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Division for the D.E.A.