Forum highlights dangers of fentanyl-laced pills

TUPELO, Miss. (WTVA) – A forum on fentanyl brought together law enforcement, health advocates and families.

The One Pill Can Kill forum was held Monday night thanks to Lee County Coroner Carolyn Green, who organized the event at Hope Church.

“Most recently, I had one. It was a young girl that used to be best friends with my daughter, so it hit very close to home,” Green said. “And I just knew at that time I had to do something to make a difference in our community and make sure the public knew how dangerous this drug actually is.”

Gina Archer, whose son died on Christmas morning in 2023, spoke at the forum about her family’s experience with counterfeit pills.

“A friend at the gym gave him one pill, which was a Percocet. They had no idea it was laced with fentanyl,” Archer said.

Archer now travels the state sharing her family’s story and warning parents about dangers associated with counterfeit pills, often sold through social media or other illegal sources.

“Tupelo, we have a problem, and we’ve got to come together, educate ourselves, educate our youth,” Archer said.

Tupelo Police Chief John Quaka said prevention begins with awareness and that law enforcement alone cannot solve the problem.

“Number one is education, so anything like this is our best way to combat fentanyl overdoses,” Quaka said.

Organizers handed out information about fentanyl awareness and Narcan, a medication used to reverse opioid overdoses.

Attendees also received a handout listing emojis that parents can use to identify whether their children may be discussing drugs online.

Quaka said Tupelo police officers carry Narcan and administer it frequently.

“If we come across someone that is in an opioid crisis, we can administer them, and we do that quite frequently,” he said.