Nathan Smiddy abused drugs for years. He overdosed twice, once on fentanyl and was saved by naloxone. In one year, he says 16 of his friends died of fentanyl overdoses. He finally decided to change his life. “I didn’t want anyone to ever go through my experience,” he said. When thinking of Monday’s overdose victims he said, “Somebody, somewhere loves them.”
Now sober, Smiddy works at A New PATH, Parents for Addiction Treatment and Healing. He trains people on administering NARCAN and distributes the medication free of charge.
“We still don’t have widespread access to naloxone. That is insane to me, like what is it going to take?” Smiddy continued, “How many more people are going to have to die before we look at our policies and make some long-term changes?”
Fentanyl Stories in San Diego
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NARCAN or naloxone was used by police early Monday morning at a Mission Beach rental home. Police said while the group was watching a soccer match at the vacation rental, three people overdosed on fentanyl. Two regained a pulse and started breathing. The third person was taken to Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla, but didn’t survive.
On Nov. 10, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said he’s issuing an executive order to deal with the growing fentanyl crisis in San Diego.
He said the city will dedicate more resources to street-level enforcement and investigation. On Monday, he told NBC 7 this latest fentanyl death is a good reminder to the community that it could happen to anyone, anywhere.
“This isn’t just for our prison population or our homeless population. This is about a vacation rental down the street from you, this is about your children’s playmates,” he said. “There is a level of urgency here that I need people to understand. I think there is often an impression that this has no bearing on your life.”
Smiddy said the entire situation needs to treated like the health crisis it is. He believes the government needs to do more and now.
“I mean this is where we are at right now. This is scary. It shouldn’t be this way,” Smiddy said. “Every overdose death is a policy failure, hands down.”
According to the mayor, in 2021 there were 812 fentanyl-related overdose deaths in San Diego County. He said the county surpassed that number in just the first six months of 2022.
Gloria told NBC 7 he plans on executing that order next week and says more details will be released soon.
