The following information will introduce not only the spike in death due to fentanyl but also the rising question of  ‘Who is to blame?’ for these circumstances, especially in the case of how children would even have access to this lethal opioid, to begin with.

In the current time, fentanyl deaths have increased exponentially since the year 2013 as that year, about 3,105 people died, and in the year 2022, this has risen even more by about 23 times. Also, over 150 people a day die because of synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, and over 5000 kids and teens have died because of fentanyl.

What happened to the toddler Charlotte . . ?

Madison Bernard (Charlotte’s mother) went to bed beside her daughter like most nights, not realizing that beside them on the nightstand lay “strewn with straws, burned tinfoil and a white powder,” not knowing how this would change her and her child’s life forever. 

Within the next few hours, Charlotte’s mother, Madison Bernard, woke up to the horrifying sight of her daughter unable to breathe. 

She then called an ambulance, and they tried to get the young girl to safety, but young Charlotte ended up dying at the age of 1-year-old from a fentanyl overdose. 

Who was at fault for the death of Charlotte?

Not long after Charlotte passed, her parents (her mother and father) were put on trial for murder because they were said to have brought the drugs into their home. 

After the trial, both parents pleaded not guilty.

Even though this couple pleaded not guilty, they are not the first parents who have been charged in the same way, as the fatality rate of children dying has increased rapidly recently, because of this significant increase people have begun to call these children “collateral victims.”

Law enforcement’s role in all of this

In 20 states, they have taken the initiative to enforce laws that make it possible to charge the providers of the said drugs that caused the lethal overdose with murder or manslaughter. 

California is one of the states that has not passed any of these laws, but in about three counties, prosecutors have been “turning to drunk driving laws to charge parents whose children die from fentanyl overdose.”

With this new look on these laws, some have stated that these parents clearly did not have the intention to harm their children, therefore they are not being punished for that but for the poor mistakes caused by their addictions. 

Awareness of this drug is important to know and acknowledge

Some believe that these children who have unfortunately passed because of this drug could have just had contact with the drug; for example, they could have touched this substance and not known and then rubbed their eyes or touched their mouth. Or if it was because the parents had this drug on their hands, they could have gotten the substance on a baby bottle or food they had prepared for the child, for it only takes about 2 milligrams for this drug to be deadly. 

“This is really a first in the history of our country because we have a drug on the streets that can potentially kill you instantly with a minor amount of product,” This was said by Charlie Smith, the top prosecutor in Frederick County, Maryland, and president of the National District Attorneys Association.

All parents need to be aware of what they have on them and how even the slightest contact can affect themselves and their children’s lives in fatal ways.