Fentanyl Forum in San Bernardino Warns of Narcan Parties, Deadly Pills, and the Power of Awareness

“You’re going to die,” said Steve Filson, Secretary-Treasurer of Victims of Illicit Drugs (VOID), during a downtown San Bernardino meeting focused on fentanyl awareness. “Don’t take a pill unless you get it from a doctor.”

Filson led the Small Business Watch meeting held at Studio D on April 8, sharing the devastating realities of fentanyl poisoning with business owners and community members, including San Bernardino City Councilwoman Dr. Treasure Ortiz.

A short film was screened during the meeting, portraying the real-life stories of individuals who lost loved ones—specifically adult children—to fentanyl. Filson’s own daughter, Jessica, died in Redlands in 2020 after ingesting fentanyl. Her case, he said, continues to shape his advocacy.

“Fentanyl changes everything,” Filson said. “It’s being mixed into meth, cocaine, and is starting to show up in marijuana. People are being tricked. Addiction has little to do with fentanyl-related deaths in our country. People are being deceived and poisoned.”

Filson emphasized that counterfeit pills resembling Adderall and Xanax are now the most common delivery method for fentanyl. “They’re manufacturing pills that look like Adderall, Xanax. The cartels are not stupid. These are highly sophisticated businesspeople and know what is wanted. They’re looking better than the manufactured pills.”

He explained that just 2 milligrams of fentanyl—roughly the size of two grains of salt—can be fatal and is often undetectable in pills or powder. “To test a pill, it has to be crushed, immersed, and liquified,” he said. “If you don’t get a pill from a doctor or pharmacy, it can be fake.”

Filson also pointed out that xylazine is now being added to fentanyl because it extends the high. “Fentanyl is in and out of the system quickly, and then it wears off and they need to get high again.”

The rise of fentanyl poisoning among teens was also highlighted. According to the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District, since February 2021, 14 teenagers in San Bernardino County have died after ingesting counterfeit prescription pills containing fentanyl. Pills referred to as “percs,” “oxys,” and “blues” are being obtained through social media and are frequently laced with the synthetic opioid. Filson stressed, “Unless prescription pills come from a pharmacy, there is no way of knowing if they are safe.”

The meeting also included a Narcan training and free distribution of the opioid overdose reversal spray to business owners. “If you use Flonase, this is the same type of injection,” Filson explained. “Tilt the head back, put it into the nostril and it sprays. Put the person suffering overdose to their side and if they don’t recover in 2–3 minutes, give them another dose if you have it.”

He said some individuals revive violently or are stunned, but “99 percent of the time, they’ll just wake up.” Still, Filson urged people to get overdose victims to a hospital. “Fentanyl attacks the receptors in the brain. Make sure the person gets to the hospital because fentanyl can still be present in the body.”

He cautioned against delaying action in emergencies. “Do this before the police and AMR arrive. If they need more narcan, SBPD carries it on them.”

Filson acknowledged that Narcan misuse is becoming a concern. “People across the nation are hosting Narcan parties, where they overdose on fentanyl and revive themselves with Narcan,” he said.

Despite grim statistics—more than 74,000 deaths linked to fentanyl in 2024—Filson noted a slight downward trend. “It’s trending down. Why? I can only attribute it to education and awareness, and people not taking risks because of that knowledge and because of the ready distribution of Narcan.”

On policy, Filson called for legislative action targeting social media companies. “We want to mandate social media companies provide cooperation and modify Section 230, so they can be held liable for third-party critical issues,” he said.

Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act provides limited federal immunity to providers and users of interactive computer services. It generally prevents them from being held liable for content provided by others, but not for their own content or activities.

Filson also recounted what happened after his daughter Jessica died. He said Theodore Sanchez was the first San Bernardino councilmember he contacted. SBPD took the case and identified another victim, but charges couldn’t be filed due to lack of evidence showing malice. “The two suspects were released from jail after four people died and released on $30,000 bail,” Filson said.

As the meeting concluded, he reaffirmed his mission: “Education and awareness is key. We are a 501(c)(3) and accept donations.”