resources-education
Father of football player who died on overdose wants to warn others
By Richard Obert, Arizona Republic | April 2, 2019 2:32 pm ET
They had the best day on Jan. 2.
Danny Mahan hit golf balls with his dad. He told his mom that he was sorry about what he had put her through and said, “I’m going to get better.”
“My kids will never have a mother like you,” the former Chandler High School (Ariz.) state champion football player told her.
Annette Mahan walked her son up the stairs that night, gave him a kiss, told him she loved him, and said, “Don’t do anything stupid.”
https://usatodayhss.com/2019/family-opens-up-danny-mahan-drug-overdose-chandler-football
Valley couple's loss inspires mission to educate about drug use
Posted at 11:49 AM, Aug 09, 2019 and last updated 11:49 AM, Aug 09, 2019
CHANDLER, AZ — Back to school is an exciting time but for parents it can also be unnerving, not knowing who or what their kids may come in contact with. Now a Valley couple is sharing their personal mission to keep students safe after their own devastating loss.
Daniel Mahan was a varsity football star for Chandler High School, well-known for his athleticism and his heart.
"He was one of my best friends," said Annette Mahan, Daniel's mom. "He was a kind soul."
"He was kind of the spark in our house," said Terry Mahan, Daniel's dad.
Their son also battled an opioid addiction. He tried one pill at a party and got hooked, but went to rehab and thought he had it beat.
Terry Mahan Brings a Powerful Story to BUHS
Lauren Kost | April 16, 2019
Terry Mahan lost his son to a Fentanyl overdose on January 3, 2019. Mahan was not a professional speaker but he simply was trying to reach out to kids and parents to inform them about this growing national crisis. Mahan wants to do what he can to help others avoid the emotional pain and loss he is experiencing since his youngest son, Daniel Mahan passed away.
https://broncoroundup.org/11403/student-life/todays-assembly/
DEA warns of new variant of fentanyl that’s killed 11 Arizonans
The DEA says the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office has found 11 people who’ve died of suspected overdoses have had para-fluorofentanyl in their system.
Author: Colleen Sikora
Published: 5:05 PM MST December 28, 2020
Updated: 8:40 PM MST December 28, 2020
Eleven people in Maricopa County have died from a new variant of Fentanyl according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The DEA is concerned about the new version of the synthetic opioid, believing it’s not just in Maricopa County, but across Arizona.
The presence of fentanyl has been increasing over the last few years, and just one pill can be deadly.
“There’s no quality control there’s no equal distribution of drugs in the pill,” Cheri Oz, Special Agent in Charge at the DEA’s Phoenix Field Division said of fentanyl.
Oz said her agents are now warning of a new variant of fentanyl called para-fluorofentanyl (pFF), believed to be made by drug cartels out of Mexico.
“It’s more potent and more addictive and you need less of it in a pill to have a user become addicted,” Oz said.
The DEA said the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office recently found pFF in 11 suspected overdoses, alongside other drugs.
“It’s not just one guy who’s doing something really bad, this is a whole system of people that are really profiting from our trauma, our tragedies,” Oz said.