What to know about new street drug

Veteran anti-drug educator Julieta Santagostino explains what you need to know about new drug “ISO.”

CLEARWATER, FLORIDA, USA, April 14, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ — “The main thing to know about new drugs like ISO (isotonitazene) is that other drugs can be laced with it,” says Julieta Santagostino, president of the Foundation for a Drug-Free World Florida chapter based in Clearwater, Florida. “This is already frequently done with fentanyl to make other drugs more powerful.” Any street drug could have ISO added without the buyer knowing.

ISO is a synthetic opioid that is approximately 20 to 100 times stronger than fentanyl according to the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office. “Isotonitazene, also known as ISO, is so strong that it can kill just by coming in contact with someone’s skin or being accidentally inhaled,” said Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody in a statement in March of this year. According to the Pinellas County Opioid Task Force one person dies every 26 hours from an opioid-related overdose in Pinellas County.

Testing by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Crime Lab revealed that ISO has been found in multiple Florida counties since 2020.

To bolster drug prevention efforts says Santagostino, “There is also a point of understanding what a drug is and how it works. When I do seminars with kids I always ask them if they know the answer.” She says many of those students answer with real life examples based on what they’ve heard and seen among friends and family.

The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office says the signs of an ISO overdose include blue or purple lips and nails, difficulty breathing, clammy skin, loss of consciousness, drowsiness, vomiting, and “pinpoint” pupils. The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office said these symptoms can happen within minutes of exposure.

If you think someone is overdosing from ISO, call 911.

About Foundation for a Drug-Free World:

The Foundation for a Drug-Free World is a nonprofit public benefit corporation that empowers youth and adults with factual information about drugs so they can make informed decisions and live drug-free. Through a worldwide network of volunteers, 50 million drug prevention booklets have been distributed and tens of thousands of drug awareness events have been held in some 180 countries. The Church of Scientology is a sponsor of the foundation, making it possible for the foundation’s “Truth About Drugs” booklets, educator guides and documentaries to reach people worldwide. Through the Church of Scientology’s sponsorship the “Truth About Drugs” public service announcements have aired on more than 500 television stations. Humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard said, “Drugs rob life of the sensations and joys which are the only reasons for living anyhow.”

Stephanie Klimke
Foundation for a Drug-Free World Florida
+1 727-467-6962
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