HEADLINES & HISTORY SINCE 1879
Goldendale, Washington
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2023
The Horror Fentanyl users share their experiences Part 1
LOU MARZELES EDITOR
T
oday The Sentinel begins a multipart series of first-hand accounts from fentanyl users. The information is compiled from a variety of sources, all of whom spoke on condition of anonymity either directly with The Sentinel or through an intermediary. To protect their privacy, names and details that could be used to identify the sources have been altered, though the information about how their days and experiences unfold is accurate. We begin first with a statement from a medical authority on fentanyl about the drug’s uniquely perilous physiological characteristics. Gillian Zuckerman, MD, PhD: When you save a life with Narcan [a nasal spray administered to a fentanyl user who is overdosing], you’re doing it by precipitating withdrawal. It’s a much worse withdrawal syndrome for those who have experienced it than just your typical heroin or fentanyl when it wears off. It’s not just coming out of a high. My patients tell me it’s like the worst flu that you’ve ever had, with severe body aches and then anxiety, agitation. The system that fentanyl is working on in the brain is so closely tied to basic activities of life, like those connecting to our mothers at birth; it’s the same system. It’s so fundamental that your brain literally will tell you if you do not have this, then the alternative is death. That’s what folks who are using fentanyl are faced with: they feel like they’re going to die by not getting their next dose. So then it makes a lot more sense why somebody would risk death by using fentanyl… As of right now, fentanyl is our
most acute danger. I would say methamphetamines are very dangerous for people, too. But those are over a longer period with more subtle changes in health. Fentanyl, as the biggest danger for overdose, unfortunately, is your drug leader. ~ ~ ~ John is about two hours into his fentanyl-idyllic high. He’s already wondering how soon to get another dose. Sure, the drug is fairly cheap—you can buy a single pill for less than the cost of a candy bar—but when the fentanyl high is so short, maybe two or three hours, you need a lot of it to keep out of pain. That’s John’s primary goal now. The euphoria of the high is matched by the horror of the low. It’s not just a matter of maintaining a high—something increasingly difficult to do because of the body’s increasing resistance to the drug—now it’s a matter of staying out of hell. That’s what withdrawal from fentanyl feels like, a pain felt in your very bones, gnawing at your synapses, devouring you at a core level. More doses are a breeze to come by if you have the money. Dealers of course don’t have booths on the street, but they might as well; they’re plentiful and easy to find, especially once they know you. They’ll make “welfare checks” on you to keep you stocked. Sure enough, John walks a couple of blocks from his home, and his high helper, Arnie, is on his porch watching John approach. “How much you need, John?” Arnie asks, a salesman’s pleasant smile on his pock-marked face. “I got a hundred bucks,” John answers. “Shoot, that should keep you in business for a couple weeks.”
See Drugs page B4
LOU MARZELES
ZACHARY VILLAR
COUNTRY ROOTS IN GOLDENDALE: Singer/songwriter Margo Cilker just released a new album.
Cilker: music and ag ZACHARY VILLAR FOR THE SENTINEL
Goldendale musician Margo Cilker’s new album, “Valley of Heart’s Delight,” was released on September 15. Cilker grew up in the San Francisco Bay area and spent time in South Carolina, the Basque country, and Oregon before moving to Goldendale in 2021. She lives here with her husband,
Forrest VanTuyl, who manages her tours and plays in her band. Cilker’s music is variably described as Americana, country, and folk. She plays guitar and sings on “Valley of Heart’s Delight,” her third album after “California Dogwood” in 2019 and “Pohorylle” in 2021. She chose to live in Goldendale so that she and her husband could balance their
See Cilker page B4
ART FESTIVAL: Saturday saw crowds enjoying Goldendale’s first Art Festival taking over both east and west sides of Main Street at Columbus Avenue. Top, the artists and building owners who provided the eye-catching artwork on the four buildings at the corner of Main and Columbus share smiles under the large mural on Round 2 at the southeast corner. Second from top and left inset, vendors spread out in booths showcasing their wares on East and West Main Street. Above left, Art Festival Project Director Jeanne Morgan speaks at a podium right in the middle of Columbus and Main; the city allowed the entire intersection to be blocked off for the occasion. Above right, Goldendale Chamber of Commerce President Jacqueline Eide, left, stands beside Washington Senator Curtis King, a strong supporter of the event and who spoke at it. The certificate he holds reads, “This certificate honors Senator Curtis King for his time and efforts supporting Goldendale’s budding art community, presented at Goldendale’s first annual Art Festival on this day, September 23rd, 2023.” Adding to the day’s warm feelings was a milestone for Pat’s Place owner Patricia Farrer (right) who celebrated her 80th birthday with the door to her shop open for all to enter and share in a fun spread of artwork and lots to eat.
Vol. 144 No. 39
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