Drug overdoses are down in Michigan; however, multiple agencies are still warning against the dangers of synthetic drugs.
It’s been reported that 48.5 million Americans are suffering from substance abuse nationwide.
One died in 2013 when Greg Swan lost his son, Andrew.
“He unfortunately relapsed at a rave in Miami on a Molly, and he took an unprescribed pill from his roommate, and he died in his sleep,” said Swan.
In the midst of his pain, Swan co-founded “Fentanyl Fathers” to help prevent others from experiencing the same fate.
“There are over a million bereaved parents in the United States since 2019, with 500,000 fentanyl deaths. We decided, we are hopeless, but let’s do something, maybe,” Swan said.
The good news, at least, is that the number of overdoses in Michigan is on a steady decline.
In 2023, 110K Americans died from an overdose; that number dropped to just a little over 80 thousand in 2024.
“Out of those deaths, over 70% are a result of synthetic drug use,” said Southfield police Chief Elvin Barren.
Barren says in reality, there’s still a long way to go.
As a result, five different agencies, including the Southfield Police Department, Farmington Hills Police Department, Oak Park Police Department, Michigan State Police, and the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, have recently come together to raise awareness about the dangers of synthetic drugs.
“Fentanyl, synthetic drugs, or Part One drugs as a whole, they are destroying our families, our children, and our society,” said Barren.
And although the pain is still very real for Greg, and many parents out there, especially at least purpose has been found in Andrew’s death.
“I accept his passing. There was a purpose to it now, and I can tell you that I’m actually now a happy person again. It was a long, long time,” Swan said.
Researchers have also found a direct link between synthetic drugs and human trafficking.