On June 21, 2019, Micah Sawyer Jr. was found dead by his mom. He was 22 years old and had been sober from heroin for six months before relapsing. The batch he acquired was laced with fentanyl. Game over.
In its second year, Food Not Fentanyl is a celebration of life that takes seriously the task of saving lives. Hosted by harm-reduction foundation Micah’s Hugs in partnership with Petaluma’s Sax’s Joint, the Aug. 30 event will feature lifesaving Narcan demonstrations, “stories of hope,” food trucks and musical performances.
“We’ve given out about 48,000 doses of Narcan,” said Michelle Sawyer, Micah Jr.’s stepmother and secretary of Micah’s Hugs, which also distributes fentanyl testing strips that can be used to test any drug for even tiny traces of fentanyl. The group’s efforts are gaining traction. After four teenage overdoses in one day, two of them fatal, “schools started allowing us to come into their facilities and start education training,” Sawyer said.
Once upon a time a safe-and-sane possibility for party drugs existed. Yes, a little cocaine or ecstasy could gateway into other more dangerous drugs like crack or heroin, but for most party people, there was a way to reach that mindless joy of the weekend in a reasonable amount of safety. Things have changed. “That’s all done now,” as many of today’s previously partying parents have advised their teenager. The potency of fentanyl makes this the age of One Pill Can Kill.
Sadly, Micah Jr.’s story is hardly unique. A beloved son and captain of the Analy football team, he experimented with H in high school and became a regular user after graduating. As a young adult he worked in his family’s construction company, earning a certification from SSU.
But his habit got out of control and he slipped on and off again from using, lived at times on the street. He was getting clean in the care of family when he decided to score—probably thinking “one last time” as so many heroin users do just before overdosing.
Black market or counterfeit prescription drugs can also be laced with fentanyl, about half the time with a potentially lethal dose according to the DEA, which also reports that 85% of street pills contain fentanyl. Now that most any drug can contain fentanyl, not only addicts overdose. Between 2012 and 2022, deaths skyrocketed across the country, peaking at nearly 200 per day.
Efforts like Micah’s Hugs help to reduce those deaths by spreading awareness, instruction and supplies. Because administering Narcan quickly is vital to its life-saving potential, access to the nasal applicators is key. A map on MicahsHugs.org shows local locations for free Narcan, including novel approaches such as in vacant newspaper boxes and neighborhood free libraries. Fentanyl testing strips are often included in these locations for those who plan to imbibe substances that might contain fentanyl.
As Sawyer stressed in our talk, the scope of the crisis leaves no room for judgment.
“A lot of people used to think that Narcan was enabling drug users,” Sawyer said, “but we’re changing a lot of views and changing a lot of policies.”
Those attending the event will confront the Memorial Poster Project. Each life-size portrait places viewers eye-to-eye with a fentanyl fatality in such intimacy that the finality of the loss is devastating. The broadly smiling photos are labeled with descriptors of the lost souls: loving, smart, kind, charming, loyal, brave. The installation challenges the viewer to see those who died as more than just statistics. They are those we love; they are us.
Food Not Fentanyl is a fundraiser for Micah’s Hugs featuring food, live music by Wonder Bread 5 and the Illeagles, and life-saving demonstrations. It takes place from 3:30-8pm, Aug. 30, at Pronzini Ranch, 3795 Adobe Rd., Petaluma. $35 in advance, $40 at the door; kids 12 & under are free.
Fentanyl Harm Reduction Guide
Signs of an Opioid Overdose
Look for slow or stopped breathing, pinpoint pupils, blue or pale lips, and unresponsiveness to loud noise.
How to Administer Narcan
Lay the person on their back, insert the nozzle fully into one nostril, and press the plunger firmly once. Call 911. Repeat if unresponsive after 2–3 minutes. May require 3 or 4 doses.
How to Properly Use a Fentanyl Test Strip
Fentanyl tends to clump. The safest way to test is to dissolve the well-mixed substance in water, dip the strip for 15 seconds and read the results after two minutes. Consume the drug as a liquid solution.
Where to find Narcan and Testing Strips
Where to Get Help for Addiction
Sonoma County Health and Human Services can help.
Call 707.565.6900 or toll free 800.870.8786.
