Sandy Snodgrass Fights Fentanyl: 'Poisoning, Not Accidental'

0:00An Anchorage mom named Sandy Snodgrass is leading the charge nationwide to stop fentanyl from killing more kids after her 22-year-old son. Bruce died from a back in 2021. She's behind Bruce's law, a big federal push signed by President Trump that pumps money into youth education on overdoses and community recovery. Programs Just this week, Alaska Senator Bill Wallachowski gave her a special honor at the state capitol for her nonstop advocacy. Fentanyl is a super potent synthetic opioid. Way stronger than heroin, where just two milligrams, about a couple grains of salt, can be deadly. Alaska saw a huge spike, with opioid deaths jumping 75% from 2020 to 2021, peaking at 357 in 2023, mostly in. Anchorage Even now, non-fatal overdoses hit thousands monthly, but Narcan has saved a ton of lives by reversing them fast. Sandy shares her story everywhere to cut demand, stressing you can't die from street

1:01drugs if you never touch them. She calls it poisoning, not just accidental, and notes even dealers might not know what's in the pills. Her son was a thrill-seeking Alaskan climber, living on the edge like so many young folks up there. She's met Trump in the Oval Office, pushing fentanyl as a chemical weapon, and soon after, he signed an order treating it like one ramping up. Accusions and military ops against it. Nationally, over 77,000 overdose deaths hit in the 12 months ending March 2025, mostly fentanyl, like a jumbo jet crashing daily. In rural spots like Togiac, dealers smuggle thousands of pills despite tiny populations. Sandy's now eyeing more school talks, especially in rural Alaska, where prices are high and deaths are rising in places like Nome. Sandy's backing a new bill for mandatory opioid lessons in middle and high school during Red Ribbon Week to warn kids those innocent-looking blue pills can end it all. Her voice keeps echoing to save the next one.

2:01I'm Cory with the story. That's your Anchorage News Today update, AI-powered, and always on.