Americans often hear the mind-numbing statistic that fentanyl poisoning is the No. 1 cause of death for Americans aged 18-45.
Most do not comprehend how this can be, not understanding that the powerful narcotic – unlike almost any other drug – is not just addicting, but is frequently added to other illicit drugs for the express purpose of poisoning/killing Americans.
Thus there is a significant deficit in education and awareness among the American public regarding the battle against lethal synthetic opioids such as fentanyl.
WorldNetDaily recently interviewed Lisa Carole Cude, a mother who has experienced the devastating effects of fentanyl firsthand.
Cude’s firstborn son, Jordan, was in active recovery for substance use addiction, having moved from a restrictive residential treatment center for eight months to a less-restrictive sober living home in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Three weeks after Jordan moved into the sober living house with five men in active recovery for substance use, Lisa Cude invited her sons for lunch to “share some time together” and “celebrate life.” Jordan was “doing extremely well, getting his life back together,” she said, adding that her son was committed not only to his own recovery but also to helping others. “He was healthy and happy, moving forward, doing all of the necessary hard-work and dedication towards a better life,” she said, noting he was “free from all substances.”
Then, on the night of that very day, March 20, 2021, he lost his life. The mother of three was “blindsided” the next day when three uniformed officers knocked on her door to inform her of losing Jordan.
“I thought those knocks were him arriving early for dinner,” she told WND, as she was preparing for a Sunday family get-together. “Instead of a happy occasion, and through the shock, I had to inform my other sons and their father the devastating news.” She lamented, “The enormity of the pain is indescribable for all who loved him,” adding, “I wish it on no one.”
Later, revealed Lisa Cude, “a toxicology report came back full of a deadly dose of fentanyl cut with cocaine.” With much regret, she said her son relapsed with his roommate. “They purchased cocaine, and it was full of fentanyl.” As she explained, “You don’t die from cocaine. I know for a fact that he did not want to die, and he was poisoned, unknowingly, sold cocaine cut with 28ngs of pure fentanyl – enough to kill 14 men.”
Sadly, not only did Jordan make an unsuccessful attempt to save his friend by notifying 911, but he also succumbed to the poison himself. “They both lost their lives to this deadly drug,” his mother told WND, “along with the hundreds of thousands of others dying in our country each year. You can fill easily up a football stadium with the number of lives lost to this poison.”
“I can’t even describe the pain and heartache and shock that I went into,” Lisa Cude shared, admitting “it’s something that you live with every moment of every day.” Since that tragic day, she has sought to “channel” her sorrow and raise awareness about the dangers of fentanyl, “to spare other families this grief towards positive changes in hope of saving lives.” She added, “Education is key [and] knowledge is power.”
“Never believe that it can’t be your son or daughter, or in your wonderful community,” she said. “The media often tries to depict addiction as something those living on the streets are dealing with, and while those people truly matter, the truth is that addiction affects the lives of anyone, regardless of their socioeconomic status.” For her, it’s imperative that everyone understands that addiction “has no boundaries, [affecting] every socio-economic background, in every workplace, in every profession, in every school, in every church, and in every community no matter how small or big.”
For her son Jordan, the addiction that spiraled out of control began “innocently with a pain prescription of Percocet for the removal of wisdom teeth.” He moved from liking the way the pills made him feel on to “party pills” with his friends, to include drugs prescribed by doctors, like highly addictive OxyContin.
Describing how they inevitably moved on to “street heroin,” she noted that “prescription OxyContin is synthetic heroin,” adding that both are highly addictive and potent opioids.
“Never in his medical and therapy records or in his journals was fentanyl ever mentioned,” Lisa Cude said. “When in active addiction, his drugs of choice were heroin, cocaine and Xanax.” For others, the cycle could begin with something as simple as taking a pill to manage anxiety or boost energy. In any of the situations, she cautioned, even a small amount of fentanyl mixed into any drug, including a fake pill, could prove fatal for the user.
“None of the media or our government is doing enough to save the lives of those who didn’t want to die,” she lamented. What is needed, she said, is “a major media blitz and public service announcements with factual information and mandatory education in all levels of education systems throughout our country.”
“Treat this travesty like the Covid pandemic,” she said. “Scare people straight with the facts.”
Lisa Cude praises people like Derek Maltz, a former head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s Special Operations Division and former acting administrator of the DEA, for bringing this issue to the forefront. As Maltz frequently emphasizes, she likewise believes there is a significant need for extensive public service announcements, engagement from celebrities to connect with younger audiences on the dangers of fentanyl, and enhanced bipartisan government initiatives that not only continue to halt the influx of fentanyl into the nation, but also boost awareness and education for both children and adults.
Equally important to Lisa Cude, she told WND, is her “belief in Jesus Christ. If it wasn’t for my faith in Christ, I would not be here, as it is only this faith that has pulled me through this and has been constant through it all.”
She wants to offer this hard-won wisdom to others, too, and has created a blog, a podcast and devotionals for healing, directed toward grieving parents, people battling addiction and “the people who love them through it” – sharing her faith throughout.
“There are so many terrible stories out there, but there is also hope,” she told WND. “No matter what comes our way, we can’t lose focus of our faith.”