Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1480924
Education is key to combating epidemic By Julian Peeples An Invisible Threat F E N T A N Y L P O I S O N I N G : A C H D I D I E R W A S an outstanding member of the Whitney High School community in Rocklin — an exceptional student who was a standout athlete in soccer and track and even starred in the school musical. In December 2020, the 17-year-old's bright future was tragically extinguished when he was the victim of fentanyl poisoning. "It's like a lightning bolt came out of the blue and destroyed everything," says Chris Didier, Zach's father. "And we didn't see it coming." Zach had purchased what he thought was a prescription pain pill from a dealer on the social media network Snapchat, but the coun- terfeit pill contained a lethal dose of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine. e toxicology reports showed that Zach was the recipient of a "fentapill," a pill that appears identical to a prescription pill but is actually made of fentanyl. Fentanyl poisoning is reaching epidemic levels among American youth, with fentanyl-re- lated deaths increasing nearly five-fold among 13- to 24-year-old Americans over the last five years. Officials estimate that 98 percent of the most common pills purchased outside of phar- macies are fake and contain fentanyl, which is very cheap to produce. As little as two mil- ligrams of the potent painkiller — about two grains of sand — can be deadly. "Fentanyl is fatal with just a small dose and is frequently marketed and sold as prescription drugs," says Lisa Botwinik, Placer County Super- vising Deputy District Attorney. "is deception is a huge part of the issue since we are seeing students purchasing what they believe to be prescription pills to experiment or to try and self-medicate issues of pain, anxiety or depres- sion, but instead of a prescription pill they are being sold a fake pill containing fentanyl." Fentanyl is now the No. 1 cause of death for 18- to 45-year-olds nationwide, and Placer County i s no exception . In 2020, 24 Placer County residents died from fentanyl poisoning with nearly half of them under 25 years old — a 700 percent increase from 2019. Beaverton (Ore.) School District developed fentanyl awareness curriculum. Laura, Zach and Chris Didier 24 cta.org Feature