On National Fentanyl Awareness Day, a Valley mom is on a mission to prevent future fentanyl overdoses
April 29 is National Fentanyl Awareness Day.
One Valley mother is dedicating her time to spreading awareness of the dangers of fentanyl after her daughter died of an overdose in 2021.
Josephine Dunn has been fighting to get laws through the state legislature to prevent overdoses like the one her daughter died from.
PHOENIX - Josephine Dunn says she is dedicating her life to fighting fentanyl.
As the saying goes: one pill can kill.
Her hope is that no mother experiences the pain that she still feels today.
"The amount of agonizing and excruciating pain that I have suffered since the moment we got that phone call at 1:08 a.m. that she was in the hospital, I cannot put into words," said Dunn.
The backstory
Ashley Dunn of Prescott was just 26 when she died the day after her son's fifth birthday.
"She was the most gentle and genuine, kind, generous. She was most trusting person on earth," said her mother Josephine.
In May of 2021, Ashley overdosed on a pill laced with fentanyl.
"They had Ashley's dealer in custody within 24 hours. Ashley's murderer is sitting in the Arizona Department of Corrections and serving ten years for what happened to Ashley. Not for manslaughter, not for murder, but because she was a repeat drug offender and drug trafficker," said Dunn.
What we know
Since her daughter's death, Josephine Dunn has been sharing her daughter's story to save others.
"I just want to spread awareness and help other grieving families and stop this poison. That's it. I'm not doing this for money, I'm just doing this to save lives," she said.
Last April, Governor Katie Hobbs signed the Ashley Dunn Act into law. It targets fentanyl dealers by increasing sentences for offenders convicted with more than 200 grams of the drug.
"This law is doing incredibly well in our state. People are being arrested, they're being convicted, and they're being sentenced to prison," she said.
She's also an advocate for the "Sale of Lethal Fentanyl" state law, which makes it a class 2 felony to knowingly sell fentanyl that causes another person's death.
Just this week, Cruzita Leon became the first person indicted under this new law.
She's accused of selling fentanyl to 49-year-old Todd Gordon, who then died of an overdose back in November.
"I am all about that law. I support that law wholeheartedly," said Dunn. "I want every single law, as many laws that can be on the books for this, this poison that there can be, because without tools, law enforcement cannot do their job."
What's next
In Josephine's latest efforts, she has started a foundation in honor of her late daughter called the Ashley Dunn Foundation.
The Arizona Department of Child Safety is working to increase fentanyl awareness as well, calling overdoses one of Arizona's most urgent public health emergencies.
They have resources to connect parents to support and resources.
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