Even though fentanyl deaths have dropped dramatically in 2024 from 2023 – an estimated 27 percent – the Trump administration has used the crisis to justify raising tariffs on our northern ally, Canada, and now for possibly sending troops into Mexico, targeting the cartels. Drug overdose deaths have decreased because of education about the dangers of fentanyl and, also, because of the availability of Naloxone (brand name Narcan), the nasal spray that can quickly reverse the life-threatening effects of opioids.
As a recent article in the New York Times explained, defeating the cartels will not be easy. Like cockroaches, these criminal organizations are skilled at adapting. The Times reporters interviewed five operatives of the cartel, all speaking anonymously for obvious reasons, about how the drugs make it across the border. A major player? U.S. border agents who take bribes to allow cars loaded with the lethal drugs to cross the border. As a spokesperson for Customs and Border Protection said, “C.B.P. agents and officers risk their lives to defend you every day.” But if one or several agents are letting those cars through, no military assault on the cartels in Mexico will stop the flow of dangerous drugs into the U.S.
As with the Jeffrey Epstein situation, what’s being lost in this assault on the cartels is any consideration or empathy for the victims. While deaths attributed to fentanyl have decreased, even one death is too much. And preventing death means increasing awareness of the dangers of fentanyl, how even one pill can kill. That was the story we set out to tell when we filmed, Life After You, focusing on the Lajterman family whose son Danny died when he ingested heroin that was laced with fentanyl. After screenings at film festivals, including in Houston where Life After You won two awards, we were invited into communities. Our production team partnered with local drug prevention organizations to answer questions about what resources were available locally to help prevent and fight addiction.
The film then began streaming on several services. This month it was made a main selection on Amazon Prime. Anyone with a subscription can watch the film, alone or with a group. While deaths from fentanyl are decreasing, they are still happening. And families like the Lajtermans are left to mourn their loss. Fentanyl deaths dropped in 2024, but anguish over those tragedies has not. Education to prevent more deaths and empathy for the families who have lost someone need to continue. This work needs to be done on the local level, not with an army invading Mexico.
Click to watch Life After you on Amazon Prime
Top photo: Florencia Lozano as Linda Lajterman and Jake Lozano as Danny Lajterman. Photo courtesy of Cardinal Flix, Inc.
