WASHINGTON—Andrea Thomas had never heard of fentanyl when her daughter died after taking half of a pill she thought was prescription medication. Five years later, she’s among hundreds of thousands of families who have lost a loved one as the United States undergoes the deadliest overdose crisis in its history.
About 150 people from families who have lost a loved one to fentanyl poisoning gathered Tuesday at the headquarters of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Ms. Thomas was heartened a man was convicted of selling the pill to her daughter Ashley Romero after a DEA investigation, but says there’s more the federal government can do—especially when it comes to education.
