In our ongoing effort to reduce the harm caused by opioids, it is heartening to read this recent story from NPR, “Drug Deaths Plummet among Young Americans as Fentanyl Carnage Eases,” which shows our hard work in prevention and outreach is paying off and saving lives.

"What we're seeing is a massive reduction in [fatal] overdose risk, among Gen Z in particular," said Nabarun Dasgupta, an addiction researcher at the University of North Carolina. Additionally, overdoses among teenagers decreased by 40 percent. There are a number of reasons for this downward trend. Researchers have found that fentanyl being sold by drug dealers is less potent than it was a few years ago. Greater availability of naloxone also contributed to the decrease. More and more of our youth now understand that “one pill can kill” and have refrained from experimenting with any kind of illicit or prescription drug.

We know more work needs to be done to convince all youth to make healthy decisions regarding opioids and other drugs. And the work must continue to reach out to all individuals with an opioid use disorder.

Please consider scheduling PDFNJ’s 15 Minute Child Break Presentation, for your school, community or faith-based organization. This a free multi-media program which covers the latest drug trends and provides parents, coaches, teachers and other adult caregivers with effective preventive strategies to communicate with their kids about substance misuse and abuse.