SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – It doesn’t matter if you live in Sioux Falls, Rapid City or anywhere in between – the fentanyl crisis has touched just about every community in KELOLAND.
In an Inside KELOLAND Special Report, we’ll take a look at the current crisis, hear from families struggling with loss and look at the efforts to save lives.
It’s been six years since Emily’s death, and former KELOLAND News anchor and investigative reporter Angela Kennecke is doing everything she promised.
She’s started a non-profit to assist other families struggling with the heartache of addiction.
“Fentanyl is the number-one killer of people ages 18 to 45 and we have to end this,” Kennecke said.
Whether it’s in the form of a pill or powder, fentanyl is getting easier to find and cheaper to buy.
“The supply of fentanyl is rising, the street value is going down. So when people are paying less you know there is more supply out there. So we are seeing the effects of that as the supply is readily available,” Sioux Falls Police Chief Jon Thum said.
Thum says law enforcement can only do so much. He has talked with his kids about drugs and encourages fellow parents to do the same.
In five years, Emily’s Hope has granted more than 160 treatment scholarships to help people turn their lives around including Megan Cantone.
While Megan had been to rehab multiple times, it was the new life inside her that ultimately made her turn her life around.
“I wanted to be done so bad that I was actually thankful that the lord had given me a baby at that time because I was ready to change my life. I just didn’t know how and this gave me a good reason to,” Cantone said.
The medication Megan is using in her recovery is called suboxone.
It’s a combination of buprenorphine and naloxone. It’s one of three FDA-approved medications for opioid use disorder.
Fentanyl resources
In 2023, Emily’s Hope lobbied to legalize fentanyl testing strips, which detect the synthetic opioid when it’s mixed with other drugs.
The strips are free and available at several locations, which are posted on our website.
Emily’s Hope will lobby next year’s legislature to update South Dakota’s Naloxone laws. Local emergency workers have been using it to save lives for decades.
Peer Support Specialists at Emily’s Hope are people with similar lived experiences to those struggling with addiction and offer them support through their recovery.
