Yakima Times

As the new school year begins, concerns about the increasing dangers of opioids in schools are mounting. Fentanyl has become the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-45, with just a 2-milligram dose—equivalent to a grain of rice—being sufficient to cause an overdose. The rising availability of this drug necessitates that parents understand the risks their children face.

The Washington State Department of Health reports that over 300,000 people have died from drug overdoses nationwide in the past 15 years, averaging roughly 55 deaths per day. Since 2016, opioid-related deaths among children aged 14-18 have nearly tripled, largely due to fentanyl. This alarming trend calls for urgent action.

Social media has provided illicit drug traffickers with a new platform to target children. Using technology that allows posts to disappear within 24 hours, traffickers can advertise drugs using coded language and emojis to evade detection by law enforcement.

Parents are encouraged to discuss the dangers of drugs with their children before the school year starts. It is particularly important for children to understand that fentanyl is often disguised as prescription drugs like Xanax and Adderall, making it unsafe to trust everything purchased online. As fentanyl prices drop due to increased supply, having open conversations about its dangers becomes even more critical.

Efforts are also being made at the legislative level. Last year, Congress introduced the Stop Overdose in Schools Act aimed at addressing adolescent overdose rates. This legislation allocates funds for naloxone training and purchasing, increases access to naloxone for school resource officers and nurses, and directs resources to both rural areas and regions with high youth overdose rates.

Lawmakers continue working on solutions to curb youth overdose rates amidst this ongoing crisis. Maintaining vigilance this school year could help reduce fentanyl's impact on communities.

For more information on this issue, parents can visit https://www.dea.gov/onepill/parents-and-caregivers for educational resources.