Anchorage mother on mission to raise awareness about dangers of fentanyl after son’s death

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Fentanyl is taking lives at an alarming rate in Alaska and one Anchorage mother is doing all she can to change that.

Sandy Snodgrass shared her story with Alaska’s News Source in January about the loss of her son Bruce, who died from fentanyl poisoning in October 2021.

“I believe that he was on the path to long-term recovery and fentanyl prevented him from being able to reach that goal,” Snodgrass said.

The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services reported a 68% rise in overdose deaths from 2020 to 2021. State data said 75% of those deaths involved fentanyl, a synthetic opioid with a deadly dose fitting on the tip of a pencil.

Six months after first sharing her story, Snodgrass has dedicated her life to raising awareness and prevention of fentanyl.

“That’s all I do is try to prevent other families from losing loved ones to fentanyl poisoning in Anchorage or the country or the state,” Snodgrass said.

This year, Snodgrass said she took a sabbatical from her job as a psychologist to focus on fighting fentanyl full time. She’s involved with groups such as the Mat-Su Opioid Task Force and works with lawmakers on the city, state and federal levels.

She’s even pushing for a law named after her son — focused on prevention and awareness around fentanyl — to be introduced at the capitol this summer.

“I really, really am hopeful Bruce’s Law will make a lot of impact for the country,” Snodgrass said.

Those at risk of an opioid overdose can receive a Project Hope overdose response kit which can be found throughout the state or online.

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