GLOUCESTER, Va. - Thirty-six million deadly doses of fentanyl were seized around the United States, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) between May and September 2022, and Hampton Roads is no exception.
“He was definitely deceived in all this, he would still be alive if it wasn’t for the fentanyl,” said Gloucester mother Kristen Toll.
Toll's son Jeremy Forrest died of fentanyl poisoning just 10 days shy of his 30th birthday. Fentanyl is 50 times more potent than heroin, just two milligrams is considered a lethal dose.
“By killing my son it has affected all of us very deeply every day," Toll said. "I lost my everything."
According to the DEA, in 2021, a record number of Americans died from a drug overdose or poisoning. Of the more than 107,000 who died, 66% were linked to synthetic opioids like fentanyl.
Toll is now making it her mission to spread awareness about the drug.
“I want to be able to save others from this, to honor Jeremy in that way and I think he would be definitely supportive of this,” Toll said.
To read the DEA's full report, click here.
