Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1480924
Fentanyl Facts Fentanyl is the No. 1 cause of death in the U.S. among ages 18 to 45, surpassing suicide, COVID-19, and car accident-related deaths, according to CDC. While experimental drug use by American teenagers in the United States has been dropping since 2010, their fentanyl-related deaths jumped to 884 in 2021 from 253 in 2019, according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). Illicit drug manufacturers are purchasing pill presses online to make fentanyl look like prescription pills such as Oxycodone, Percocet and Xanax. Last year, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) seized 20.4 million counterfeit pills, which experts estimate represent a small fraction of those produced. The agency 's scientists say that about four out of 10 pills contain lethal doses of fentanyl. Social media drug trafficking impacts all age groups, but adolescents and young adults are particularly susceptible given their high rates of social media usage. In 2021, the DEA investigated more than 80 cases involving drug trafficking on internet and social media apps. Sources: New York Times, DEA , CDC, JAMA Beaverton also launched a campaign on social media to raise awareness. There were nearly 4,000 fentanyl-re- lated deaths statewide in 2020, the same year the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a health alert due to a major increase in synthetic opi- oids that hit the western United States. The f low of this dangerous contraband into communities has only increased, w i t h t h e f e d e ra l D r u g E n f o r c e m e n t Administration seizing more than 1 mil- lion counterfeit pills containing fentanyl during a bust in Inglewood in July. In 2021, the DEA offices in the greater Los Angeles area seized more than 3 million fentanyl pills. "This is really dangerous for our stu- d ent s. O n e pi l l can ki l l , a n d p re v e n t i o n i s k e y," says Jessica Hilderbrand, a special education teacher and member of Twin Riv- ers United Educators. "We think it's not going to be our students or our kids. Thi s i s an epidemic and we need to try to save our children's lives." Hilderbrand's son and Zach Didier were friends in the same Boy Scout Troop. Mu c h l i k e t h e D i d i e r s , Hilderbrand says she was unaware of the threat of fentanyl poisoning. "As a teacher, I haven't heard anything about this," she says, adding that she plans to bring the issue for discussion to CTA State Council of Education. (Hilderbrand is a State Council delegate and member of the Special Education Committee.) "If I can help shed light on this and save a life, that's all that matters." B o tw i n i k e n c o u ra ge s p a re n t s a n d f a m i l i e s t o m o n i t o r t h e i r c h i l d re n's o n li n e a c tiv ity, a s m a ny c o u n t e r fe it pill sales start with social media inter- actions. After several Beaverton, Ore., students died from fentanyl-related poi- sonings, the Beaverton School District developed in 2021 what might be the first and only fentanyl awareness cur- riculum for middle and high schoolers. ese materials are available for free at beaver ton.k12 .or.us/depar tments/ c o m m u n i c a t i o n s - c o m m u n i t y - involvement/fake-and-fatal. Beaverton also partners with local law enforcement a n d h e a l t h o f f i c i a l s t o raise awareness about the dangers of buying pills on social media. eir middle and high school students re c eive fent any l-rel at ed lessons in health and advi- s or y cl asse s, w hi l e st af f receive specific fentanyl training. Additionally, the district hosts a community c o nv e r s a t i o n a b o u t t h e dangers of fentanyl with local experts and impacted family members. C h r i s D i d i e r a n d h i s wife Laura are also spread- i n g t h e w o rd a b o u t t h e dangers of fentanyl poisoning, giving presentations at area high schools and talking with school district officials about how to raise awareness and fight the fentanyl crisis. " This is really dangerous for our students. This is an epidemic and we need to try to save our children's lives." —Jessica Hilderbrand, Twin Rivers United Educators 25 O C T O B E R / N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 2