Portland mother finds several ounces of fentanyl at popular park

A Portland mother made a startling discovery at Tanner Springs Park
By Connor McCarthy
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PORTLAND, Oregon (KPTV) — A Portland mother made a startling discovery in a Northwest Portland park, finding 80 grams of fentanyl lying out in the open.
Portland Police said they received a call on Monday from a mother who lives in the Pearl District. She found the Fentanyl at Tanner Springs Park and took them home to be put in a secure location before going on vacation.
When officers arrived, they confiscated multiple bags of powder and pill forms of the drug. Loanda Lictwardt is a mother of two boys. She was not the one who found the drugs but said it’s terrifying someone would leave them out in the open.
As a local nurse, she’s also on the front lines of the city’s drug crisis.
“I see what fentanyl does, really any kind of opioid overdose and it’s extremely lethal,” Lictwardt said.
She has to have difficult conversations with her children about being careful and avoiding things they might find on the ground. This includes needles, orange caps, human feces, and fentanyl.
“We have those conversations, unfortunately,” Lictwardt said. “But in order to keep them safe they’re necessary conversations and I’m open about what goes on and what it means to be on drugs and what that looks like strange behaviors.”’
Lictwardt doesn’t want to have these conversations with her children at such a young age. But she said they’re necessary so her children know the reality of the world they live in to stay safe.
“It’s sad,” Lictwardt said. “It’s one of many adult conversations that I feel like you have to have nowadays in 2023 in the city of Portland, Oregon.”
Portland Police said if you come across fentanyl in public, to give them a call right away.
In the case of the mother who found the drug at Tanner Springs Park, a spokesperson said they’re happy she understood the dangers it poses to the public. They don’t recommend taking fentanyl home but understand she took the best course of action to keep the community safe.
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