LIMA, OH (WLIO) - One Delphos mother, who has spearheaded a grassroots effort that has gone national, says our government needs to make fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction, so the cartel can be treated as terrorists.
Diane Urban is the founder and director of the Association for People Against Lethal Drugs, known as APALD. She spoke to the Lima Rotary Club about its mission and how they have pushed lawmakers for an action plan to combat synthetic drugs. Her son died of an overdose when he took a drug for dental pain that was not what he thought. It was a pill containing fentanyl and norfentanyl, enough to kill 6 people. His mother wants people to be aware that dealers can make these synthetic drugs to look like many types of pills.
"Those fake pills are out there, they're counterfeit pills. The drug traffickers have pill press machines that they can make any Xanax or Percocet or anything look like an exact duplicate. So don't try it unless it's a prescription from a doctor that you have actually received yourself don't take it. It's not worth it because one try and you can die whether it's a pill or a powder substance," said Diane Urban, founder and director of APALD.
Urban says APALD will be holding its third national rally on May 6, 2023, with dozens of cities participating across the country. Last year there were 38 cities that held rallies. Sites are just now being confirmed. You can find out more at their website at https://www.weareapald.org/.
