As the death toll rises, some school districts have yet to implement education programs on the dangers of fentanyl.
With death rates skyrocketing for ages 18-45 and teens fatalities on the rise, fentanyl is proving to be a pocket-sized serial killer. The majority of deaths are unintentional, and among teens, many aren’t aware that purchasing Adderall, Percocet or any pill for that matter on the open market, increases the risk of death. The DEA has found many of these counterfeit pills contain a fatal dose of fentanyl.
Of all drug-related overdoses among California’s youth last year, fentanyl accounted for 80 percent.
It is this lack of awareness that the San Diego County Board of Supervisors hoped to address in approving a mandate to teach fentanyl education in San Diego schools. The decision was announced on Oct. 11.
Other districts have found varying degrees of success with drug education programs. One of the most successful being that of Redondo Beach Unified which has one of the lowest rates of youth drug and alcohol use in the state.
The LA Unified school district, which saw an uptick in the number of student deaths, announced on Sept. 22 that Narcan would be provided to all K-12 schools in the immediate future. Narcan is a nasal spray that counteracts the effects of an opioid overdose within minutes. SInce Fentanyl is a respiratory depressant, swift action saves lives.
Stephan Lambert, prevention coordinator for the Orange County Department of Education admits that fentanyl is troubling when he thinks about the risk, “Fentanyl is my worst nightmare. There’s so much misinformation, and there’s such a deadly and immediate risk.”
He believes providing nonthreatening, nonjudgmental information, through schools will help students to be safe. Schools should be sensitive to their students and the circumstances that may surround them, whether that’s a parent with a drug addiction or a regular exposure to illegal drugs at a very young age, Lambert would like to see schools respond to the needs of students in their communities.
