PORTSMOUTH, Va. - A Portsmouth mother is planning to attend a rally in Washington D.C. to help raise awareness for fentanyl poisoning.
Elizabeth Ripley lost her son Michael Warren to the drug in September of 2021.
“This is how I spend time with my son now, he’s a box of ashes on my living room table,” Ripley said.
She said Michael had a heart of gold, loved animals, and was a wonderful child with a bright future. She said he struggled with substance use disorder and took a pill that he thought was a Xanax.
“What came up in the medical examiner's report was fentanyl,” said Ripley said.
Drug poisonings, like from synthetic opioids like fentanyl, are the leading killer among Americans ages 18 to 45.
The Norfolk Drug Enforcement Administration Office said they're concerned about a new trend- rainbow fentanyl. It's being brought in from Mexican drug cartels and targeting young teens and children with bright colors and forms.
“The DEA along with its state and local law enforcement partners are directing substantial resources to confront the opioid crisis and this dangerous trend involving rainbow fentanyl," said Resident Agent in Charge Patrick Hartig. "Fentanyl remains the deadliest drug threat facing the country and just two milligrams is considered a lethal dose.”
Ripley, surrounded by banners, pictures, and posters, is now on a mission to make people in Hampton Roads aware of the dangers.
“Fentanyl is all over this area, it is all over this area,” Ripley said.
She has this message to share - in honor of her son, who would have been 23 this month.
“Don’t take it, don’t take it, if it’s not your prescription and it doesn’t have your name on the bottle, don’t take it,” Ripley said.
She said there will be a rally in front of the White House on September 17. She said she and other local parents who have lost children to fentanyl plan on attending.
