Fentanyl Crisis Continues to Hit California Youth
Article by Aiden Kleinman, TPT Guest Writer
Opioid use has seen a dramatic increase in usage by high school aged students nationwide. Brightly colored Fentanyl, referred to as “rainbow” Fentanyl, is circulating and has been mistaken for candy. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that was traditionally used for pain relief in hospitals. Since it is cheap and simple to make, Fentanyl is now in the street drug market as a cheap filler, which is why there has been a huge increase in drug related deaths since it only takes the size of a few grains of sand for it to be lethal. The integration of Fentanyl into other drugs is somewhat new, so public awareness is generally low regarding just how deadly tiny doses can be. In fact, among teenagers, overdose deaths linked to synthetic opioids like Fentanyl tripled in the past two years, yet 73% have never heard of fake prescription pills being made with Fentanyl.
Photo via US Drug Enforcement Administration
In 2021, there were 224 Fentanyl-related overdose deaths among teens ages 15–19 years old in California inspiring a statewide campaign to equip schools to respond to on-campus overdoses. But in 2022, a SDUSD high school student survived an opioid overdose on school grounds because of Narcan administration. Nasal Naloxone (brand name Narcan) can reverse an opioid overdose. The Naloxone Distribution Project provides free Naloxone to schools and universities at no cost. On October 11, 2022, the San Diego Unified School District Board passed a resolution to ensure that Narcan was available at all district campuses and that school police officers, nurses, health office staff and other staff on campus are trained to administer Naloxone at district school sites. It also resolved to provide multilingual educational materials about the drug via social media, email and websites to the community and will participate in National Fentanyl Awareness Day on May 9, 2023.
Students at area colleges, private and charter schools must be proactive and push this issue to the forefront of conversations about student health & wellness by working with their schools to improve awareness around the dangers of Fentanyl and the available free access to lifesaving Narcan. Students should talk to their deans, principals, ASBs, and superintendents to insist on participation on Fentanyl Awareness Day on May 9. On March 9, 2022 the DEA said, “...Fentanyl is killing Americans at an unprecedented rate…save lives by talking to your friends and family about the dangers.” Ensuring all students including middle and high school students as well as teachers, administrators and the extended community have the most up-to-date information will help prevent unnecessary tragedies. Insisting Narcan is on campus readily available and in the hands of trained staff members will save lives.
To learn more about Fentanyl Awareness Day: https://www.fentanylawarenessday.org/
To find Narcan near you: https://harmreduction.org/resource-center/harm-reduction-near-you/
Aiden Kleinman is a high school senior in San Diego and has been actively involved, as part of his school’s leadership team, in issues affecting San Diego youth. Last year he authored, lobbied and passed two San Diego Unified School District resolutions one on Opioid Awareness/Prevention and Narcan distribution and the other on Support for Youth Voter Engagement.
The views articulated in this piece are the writer’s own, and do not reflect the official stances of The Progressive Teen or HSDA at large.