Q&A with Mat-Su Opioid Task Force founder discussing latest efforts amid opioid epidemic

WASILLA— Mat-Su Opioid Task Force founder Michael Carson recently participated in a question and answer interview to discuss the latest developments in the fight to save lives amid and turn the tide of the ever-present opioid epidemic.

What are some of your current concerns regarding the opioid epidemic?“The big concern I have now is counterfeit pills. The DEA came out with the first safety alert in five years, ‘one pill can kill.’ They’re saying that any pill that you buy, trade, or steal on the street has a two out of five chance of being a potentially lethal overdose of Fentanyl… It is very, very concerning. It’s a matter of life and death. That’s my most current concern… It really adds potency. We know Fentanyl is in heroin, cocaine, methamphetamines. There is even data that came out of Connecticut that they’re finding it in marijuana. So any drug today has the potential of having Fentanyl. We know that Fentanyl is 50 to 100 percent more powerful than morphine. I’m really concerned about youth getting a hold of Xanex. It’s even in Adderall. The potential is so so lethal that we need to get that information out there. We just can’t take a chance.”

What are some of your latest efforts?“I just got asked to be on the state’s steering committee the Office of Substance Misuse and Addiction Prevention. This steering committee makes suggestions, provides ideas and topics of discussion for local opioid task forces across the state to consider. In fact, in the past, I have been attending those networking meetings as Chair of the Mat-Su Opioid Task Force. Now, I will be a steering committee member to assist local task forces and I will continue attending networking meetings with other local task forces. So, I’m wearing two hats,” he said with a laugh. “We’re coming out with a quarterly opioid newsletter and getting that distributed across the state… I believe this is a two-way street, asking what is important from the grassroots, advancing up the ladder for the steering committee to consider, turning around, and spreading those ideas and suggestions for local task forces across the state. In this bottom-up and top-down process, I would like to hear everyone’s voice. Those voices can be from youth, community members, board members, councils members, and with service, program providers, agencies, along with our legislators. In short, we are all in this together.”

Are you hopeful for the future?“Oh yeah. Although, to be honest, I believe it’s going to take a full generation to be able to change the dynamics of this epidemic… It’s going to take all of us and it’s going to take time. It’s going to happen faster with more partners and collaboration. That’s exciting. There’s lots of great people in the good fight… Bottom line, this is all about saving lives to get people into recovery… Every Task Force meeting, we’re going to have youth present… It is imperative that the Mat-Su Opioid Task Force and the community hears from our youth first hand. We need to know what they’re thinking and we need to be able to utilize their ideas to be able to create primary upstream prevention action. Youth is going to be a huge component in the future as we’re seeking solutions to the opioid epidemic.

What’s happening at the next Opioid Task Force meeting?“We’re going to have a major, major presentation from DOC… We’re just trying to get information out to the public. Our mission is to end opioid misuse and addiction. We are really trying to make connections. We have partnered with the DEA. We have partnered up with the office of the Alaska Health and Social Services with Heidi Hedberg.”

The Mat-Su Opioid Task Force meets during the first Tuesday of every month. For more information, email jmsavage@citci.org or carsons@mtaonline.net.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com