Action News Jax is looking at a rising problem: babies and toddlers coming into contact with drugs.
Just last week, a local mom was charged with child neglect after her son was brought to the hospital with fentanyl and cocaine in his system.
Cheyenne Pope told police she had drugs in a bag, which may have fallen onto the child’s playmat.
And it was just enough of an exposure to send the 9-month-old to the hospital.
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According to Pope’s arrest report, she put a playmat on the floor of her room and the child played for 30 minutes.
“The next thing you know, my nephew was basically poisoned,” said Saphire Lewis, Cheyenne’s sister.
The report said Cheyenne went to go pick up someone from school and was having a difficult time getting the child to wake up from his nap. He was lethargic, and she believed he was dehydrated.
She told police she did not see him come in contact with any drugs.
Experts say fentanyl exposure in children is increasingly common.
“We’ve seen it just here in Duval County, Nassau County, in this area we’ve had cases,” said Florida Poison Control spokesperson Mike McCormick. “The general problem is that for small children, anything that gets in the hands goes in the mouth. When that hand goes in the mouth, that’s when we start to see the poisonings.”
McCormick said even an amount that would cover the tip of a pencil can be deadly for an adult
By 2023, U.S. Poison centers managed 539 cases of illicit fentanyl exposure in children under 6 years old, which was a 5,290% increase since 2016.
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In this most recent case, Lewis claims her sister has no history of drug use and was influenced by her boyfriend.
“My sister doesn’t even smoke weed, which is why I didn’t understand how she got into this,” said Lewis. “She didn’t even drink.”
There is no other suspect named in the arrest report.
But Lewis said her sister is innocent.
“I just know she’s loving, she’s caring , she’s nurturing,” said Lewis.
Action News Jax learned the child is in the custody of DCF.
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