It’s pain that time has eased, but hasn’t erased. It’s been two years since fentanyl took the like of Jared Englander of Moorpark. It’s grief that Lori Englander, Jared’s mother, deals with every day.
"He was a good human being who got lost. I don't want another mother to feel the way I do every day," said Englander.
She said her son struggled with addiction for years, starting when he was around 14. He was 25 when he died. Finally, when it seemed like he’d overcome it, it took his life.
"He had in the last three years before his death made a concentrated effort to get sober," said Englander. "He had two jobs, a girlfriend. He was making plans for the future. I got to see my boy again. I will never know what happened. He decided one more time."
Englander said they talked the day he died. He was high, and she offered him help.
"I told him I love you, and let's get back on this, and I think he thought one more time before I get sober again. And, that one more time was one more time too many," she said.
Ventura County leaders say there are too many stories like what happened to the Englander family. Of the 234 accidental drug overdose deaths in the county last year, 178 involved fentanyl.
The county is kicking off a new campaign to educate county residents about the dangers of the drug. It’s called the Think Again Fentanyl Awareness Campaign. The idea is to educate the community about the dangers posed by the drug.
"It's so powerful, and its so pervasive, and its reaches every part of the community. Thousand Oaks, which I represent, 50% of the overdose deaths last year were due to fentanyl," said Ventura County Supervisors Jeff Gorell. "It knows no geographic or demographic boundaries. It's in every community."
The campaign will include information shared on billboards, bus shelters, and through radio and social media. Public safety officials feel education is key. They say you can’t arrest and prosecute our way out of the problem. It’s too big.
"We're never going to be able to arrest our way out of drug use. But, we do have to have an arm to hold people accountable for selling or transporting narcotics into our country, and into our county," said Ventura County Sheriff Jim Fryhoff.
He said they’ve made a number of major drug busts recently, but that it’s an ongoing problem. Fryhoff said fentanyl has made all kinds of drugs sold on the street dangerous. Eight out of ten drugs seized on the streets of Ventura County contain fentanyl.
The county is also using another enforcement tactic. It's on the cutting edge of aggressively pursuing murder charges against drug dealers who supply fentanyl leading to death. But, public safety leaders emphasize arrests, and prosecutions are only part of the fix.
Ventura County District Attorney Eric Nasarenko said it also means working to prevent drug use, and helping those who are addicted before it’s too late.
"We're doing something novel, that perhaps not all counties are doing," said the District Attorney. "We are taking our assets we seize from drug dealers, and we are redirecting those assets towards a withdrawal management center, otherwise known as a detox facility."
He said the idea is to reduce the number of repeat offenders, and to improve public safety.
Englander admits it’s hard for her to think about the fact her son Jared was just getting his life together, and was focused on pursuing a career as a writer when he died from a fentanyl overdose.
"He wanted to be a writer. He was very gifted at it," said Englander.
Englander admits reliving what happened is painful. Many people would just want to forget. But, she is hoping that sharing her story might help another family act, before it’s too late for their loved one.
"I still cry every day, but I don't cry all day. The ripple effect through our family has been devastating," said Englander, who also has two daughters. "If I can say, or do anything to prevent that feeling from impacting another family, then sharing my pain is worth it."
