More than 56,000 nationwide deaths caused by fentanyl

impact teenagers on a daily basis. Influences surrounding their circumstances cause teens to be exposed and driven to things such as drugs. Surrounded by constant traces of drug use can cause teens to find comfort with drugs , which then idolizes the curiosity to do drugs. The Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology points out that when teenagers witness abuse in their home and peer victimization can lead to teens turning to drugs as a coping mechanism. It's possible most teens deal with depression, abuse, and other hardships with drugs as an alternative of reaching out to deal with their situation. Educating teens and ensuring they understand the effects of drugs can encourage teens to stop taking them. The influence of drugs can take a hold on the adolescent brain from being exposed by their parents, from their communities and by the people they surround themselves with.

“Better to take the approach of don’t do drugs at all, but if we’re going to be real, teach the facts,” said Health Sciences student teacher Jake Wheeler.

In teaching the facts, not only high risk teens and schools but on a nationwide level could help the opioid epidemic among teens and people as a whole.

“Young people experimenting with drugs and alcohol is nothing new; however, social networking sites are offering new and dangerous opportunities for adolescents to be exposed to drugs,” stated addictioncenter.com writer Jena Hilliard.

Teens can be more susceptible to experience and have access to drugs. The inivediable use of social media creates the image of public awareness. Displaying the negative impact on communities and teens themselves helps drive teens to stay away from drugs. Two teens who overdosed in Portland reached the media, enabling the community to raise the conversation. Social media, used as public awareness, can keep teens from using drugs, but it can also influence its use. Viewing posts concerning drugs can lead to the direction of teens wanting to experience them and lead toward a path of drug use.

DDHS social worker Laura Alexander pointed out that there are tools and people teens can turn to for help.

“We deal with other coping strategies that may not be as easy as taking a pill or smoking the weed,” said DDHS social worker Caty Buckley.

Rightstep.com states that teens may not reach out for help from friends or family if they don’t have or feel safety in their groups. Teens often do not like to stand out from their group, so they don’t want to be the only ones asking for help. This can be helped if teens have a safe and encouraging environment. There are many resources that connect teens with encouraging and available people who will help them.

Due to youth overdosing across the nation, 20 states have laws allowing schools to carry and administer naloxone. According to usnews.com seven states actually require schools to apply naloxone-use procedures. Parents have expressed fear that carrying naloxone in schools will enable students to do drugs since there are procedures that can help and protect them.

"That wouldn't be the case," said DDHS nurse Tracy Johnson.

Currently naloxone is not available at David Douglas, but may be in the near future. Recently there has been an increased usage of opioids, and naloxone is accessible, since it can be bought from a drug store.

A lot of teen fentanyl overdoses are due to other drugs being laced with the drug. According the dea.gov, fentanyl increases the potency of other drugs. Fentanyl is laced as a powder into nasal sprays and pressed into opioid pills where it's made to look like a legitimate prescription of pill. This allows drug dealers to sell the product at a higher price, making a larger profit. The percentage of illicitly made fentanyl has risen to 55.6%, increasing drug overdoses. Most laced pills contain 0.2 to 5.1 milligrams of fentanyl, which is more than twice the amount that can cause an overdose. It is also very hard to know if the pill is laced. There are testing kits, but it's not certain they will detect all fentanyl.

The opioid crisis, and the general overdosing of teenagers, affects the community in numerous ways. Drug use can often be accompanied by a harsh social impact, according to https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1886469/. Education, violence, and crime are all subjects that continue to be associated with teen overdoses. Although substance misuse may not always lead to violence or criminal activity, it does have a substantial impact on communities. Creating public awareness within this topic enables the community to discuss how to be of service regarding teen opioid overdoses.