LAKEWOOD – As if drugs aren’t already deadly enough, local police are now finding heroin laced with Fentanyl.

Detective Karen Lewis of the Snohomish Regional Drug and Gang Task Force said the drug comes here from Canada, and it is lethal in small doses. She said there was a bust locally recently where they found instructions on how much could be taken to keep from dying.

She added that Fentanyl also comes to the states from huge labs in China using the mail system.

Lewis said the opioid-heroin epidemic has led to skyrocketing overdose deaths in the county the past three years. Five years ago the problem was pain medications, but when pharmaceutical companies changed their formulas those became less easy to abuse.

“Addicts found something cheaper and more accessible – heroin,” she said.

Lewis said people can see the results of drugs firsthand, but going to Smokey Point, which she also referred to as “Dopey Point.”

“You can see the walking dead on opioids with sores all over their faces,” she said.

Lewis said since pot was legalized it’s not a big priority.

“The public spoke. Unless it’s egregious it’s hands-off,” she said. “But it’s still a concern at the school level. If adults sell to someone underage it’s a felony.”

Lewis said for drug dealers it’s all about the money. She’s involved in trying to seize assets of dealers. Some of the money helps the task force do its job. But Lewis said the legislature is looking at a bill that would end that practice. Another task force detective, Dave Chitwood, said they mostly go after big drug dealers “so it doesn’t get to the kids.” They are after mid- to upper-level cartels to “stop the flow of that.”

He said they have a new K9 unit, a website so people can easily give anonymous tips and a Facebook site. He said they rotate around the county making busts of “nuisance houses.” But they also try to help, too. They take along Catholic Community Services, which can “get them into housing, treatment, whatever they need.”

Chitwood encouraged parents to show tough love from the start.

“If you smell alcohol jump on top of that,” he said, adding take away their phone or something they really like. Regarding over-the-counter medicines, “Kids know how to abuse this stuff,” he said. “It’s a crazy time to be a parent.”

Monitor their social media and communicate with them.

“You’ll get that feeling if something is wrong,” he said.

Also at the “Not in My Backyard” event at Lakewood High School last week, a film clip was shown explaining why kids start taking drugs. Reasons given were: My friend did it; Movies make it look cool; I wanted to experiment; I’m having a hard time dealing with life; Bored; Curious; Uneducated – Told not to, but didn’t understand consequences. Experts in the clip explained that drugs are basically poisons that sedate people who don’t want to feel pain. They distort users’ perceptions and hurts memory.

Lakewood school resource officer Scott Stich said parents need to “get involved with your kid.”

Look for warning signs, such as: Mood swings; Little more messy; Avoidance – Don’t let them hide in the bedroom; Not being social; Disrespecting family; Challenging authority; Poor judgment; Lying; Risky acts, “Superman Effect”; Stealing – Are items missing?; Physical changes.

Parents need to show they haven’t lost interest in their kids, he added. “Show that you care in a nice way,” Stich said. Remember, “They have no right to privacy in their bedroom. It’s your house.”