Fentanyl Laced Pills
Recreational drug use and experimentation with drugs has been an ongoing problem in communities across the nation, but it has never been more deadly than it has been since the introduction of Fentanyl laced pills. Cities began to see the effects of the pills back in 2017 and it has slowly made its way to the Pacific Northwest. Ian Jarmin is the school nurse for the Siuslaw School District and he is concerned that it could become widespread among the student population which could be instantly deadly for those experimenting with drugs. He says that Fentanyl laced pills can hold varying amounts of the drug making the use of them like a game of Russian roulette. Florence Police Chief John Pitcher says they have seen an increase of the pills here in Florence. He says whatever the new “it” drug is it eventually makes it to the Florence community. He also says overdoses from the drug are occurring all the time. Jarmin says educating youth is a priority and the school district is hosting a special streaming event that was produced by the University of Oregon with cooperation from Lane County Public Health. It is a free event but does require pre registration. Siuslaw schools has set up a link to the registration at Siuslaw.k12.or.us. Jarmin says the event will be available on most devices that can stream, but the SMS site will have additional informative materials and access to items that can help prevent accidental overdose. The live-stream event begins this evening at 5:45.
Measure 114
Voters in Oregon approved measure 114 by a narrow margin in the November 8th election. Unless there is a legal challenge, it will take effect January 15. Lincoln County Sheriff Curtis Landers says he believes there will be challenges to the law, but no matter what transpires, his department will be working “diligently” on ensure law-abiding citizens have a pathway to lawful purchase and possession of firearms as allowed be Oregon Law. In addition to prohibiting high-capacity magazines, the new law imposes a specific process to acquire a permit that would allow the purchase of a gun. That process is similar to the one currently in use for a Concealed Handgun License. But, there are some differences. Sheriffs in several Oregon Counties have expressed concerns about the additional processing and record keeping required. In front of the January 15th date retailers are saying that they are experiencing an increase in sales prior to the measure taking effect. Requests for background checks have more than doubled in just a week. Following the election there were 18,065 requests for background checks causing a backlog in processing the requests.
Mapleton Schools See Increase
Mapleton Schools are seeing an increase in enrollment numbers. After a low during the 2021-2022 school year the numbers for the first three month of this school year have risen month to month from last year’s numbers. In November of last year enrollment was at 134. There were 24 more students enrolled this November at 158.
TSP Input Needed
The City of Florence recently held its first open house on the 20 year Transportation System Plan Update. The 20 year plan addresses many of the current needs of the city as well as perceived issues that will arise over the period. City staff is looking for input from the community through an online open house. The site can be reached by going on to the city’s website at ci.florence.or.us or
