GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Gwinnett County is addressing opioid addiction through arrests and the installation of prescription drug drop boxes, following a recent overdose death.
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Police say a 23-year-old man died last week after ingesting a fentanyl-laced pill, leading to the arrest of 25-year-old Gyasi Morris on charges of felony murder and involuntary manslaughter.
“He took his last breath in my arms,” said Frederica Roberson, who lost her 21-year-old son to fentanyl poisoning earlier this year.
Gwinnett County police have been actively using a state law known as Austin’s Law to charge drug dealers with murder when their drugs result in a fatality. This law has been applied at least a dozen times in the county.
In addition to enforcement, Gwinnett County Police have installed prescription medication drop boxes at their headquarters and precincts to help the public safely dispose of unused drugs.
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“Police and the narcotics unit has been very aggressive with targeting fentanyl cases around the county,” Gwinnett County Corporal Ryan Winderweedle said.
Winderweedle emphasized the danger of leaving expired or unused prescription drugs around the house, as they could lead to accidental overdoses.
“Leaving ‘em around the house leaves them for other individuals or potentially young children to accidentally get ahold of such things and potentially cause an overdose,” Winderweedle.
Overdose deaths in Gwinnett County have decreased since the implementation of Austin’s Law, although the exact figures were not provided.
Frederica Roberson, who founded the Marquavies Bernard Broughton Foundation in honor of her son, is working to raise awareness about the dangers of fentanyl and opioid addiction.
“I don’t want anybody to feel the pain that I felt, the pain that I’m still feeling,” Roberson said.
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