We know how important it is for youth to understand how dangerous fentanyl is, as even just one use can be lethal. Many teenagers are not deliberately seeking fentanyl, but rather looking to alleviate their anxiety, depression or other mental health issues by getting their hands on Xanax or similar medications. Dealers will often lace illicit copies of these drugs with fentanyl to increase the high teens experience, thereby getting them addicted to the drug and becoming regular users. This article from the University of Michigan using results from their nationwide 8^th, 10^th and 12^th grade Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey shows that over half of eighth graders did not know how dangerous this behavior can be.

“Our biggest finding is that most eighth graders simply don’t know that fentanyl can be lethal—and that gap, not a lack of fear, is the real issue,” said Richard Miech, principal investigator of the MTF study at U-M’s Institute for Social Research. “These findings point to the importance of efforts to strengthen and augment current messaging about the potential effects of fentanyl use.”

To raise greater awareness about this specific issue and others,  I encourage your school or faith-based or community organization to schedule PDFNJ’s 15 Minute Child Break Presentation, a free multi-media program that educates parents and other adult caregivers about recent drug trends and provides effective preventive strategies to communicate with kids about substance use and misuse.