The Drug Takeover In Stanislaus County

Drug addiction in Stanislaus County has hit an all-time high. People turn to drugs to feel good, stop feeling bad, and perform better in school or work for social gratification. There are many different reasons why people turn to drugs.

Anthony Trejo is a recovering addict. He has been clean for five years. He struggled with his drug addiction for 25 years.

Some people get so caught up in that good feeling that they can't stop, turning into an addiction. People who are caught up in it socially believe that others won't like them unless they have a joint in their hand or pipe in their mouth.

In Stanislaus County in the early 2000s, the drug of choice was methamphetamine. In 2010 the drug of choice switched over to heroin and opiates. Now opiates have taken over, and even scarier fentanyl is in the picture.

The scary thing about fentanyl is that it's being put in an opiate, it's being placed in the methamphetamine, it's being put in THC, it's being put in so many things, and it's killing so many people. In 2020, we had 3946 deaths in Stanislaus County related to fentanyl.

According to Lydia Bejerano, a substance abuse case worker for Stanislaus County, fentanyl is hidden in most drugs. People don’t even know they are doing fentanyl.

“So, what’s happening is that the people out there selling these drugs are putting it into the meth they're putting into the, you know, the heroin they're putting into we even heard that they're putting into THC marijuana.” Says Lydia

Anthony Trejo stated, “NA couldn’t change me. AA couldn’t change me. It took the power of Jesus Christ to change me and save my life."