December 21, 2022
Kayla Borja Frost believes Fentanyl to be dangerous because young people seek out the pharmaceutical versions of the drugs they consume assuming it is safer. The issue is that illicit versions of drugs can often not be distinguished by young people as pharmaceutical vs illicit, illicit which have a high chance of being laced with deadly compounds such as Fentanyl. Among adolescents, Fentanyl-involved fatalities increased from 253 in 2019 to 680 in 2020 and to 884 in 2021 according to JAMA Network.
“If you’re taking any medication that is not yours that has not been prescribed to you by a doctor it’s a huge risk because Fentanyl is so pervasive. The number one thing that is important to draw attention to now is that illicitly manufactured fentanyl is the driver of the trend we’re seeing in the increase of overdoses,” Hough said. If you’re taking any medication that is not yours that has not been prescribed to you by a doctor it’s a huge risk because Fentanyl is so pervasive. — Carrie Hough Community and Family Resources Specialist
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Fentanyl has one of the highest rates of overdose out of any drug because it is extremely potent, as aforementioned. A lethal dose of fentanyl is a minuscule amount, about two milligrams which is as much as could fit on the tip of a pencil, and according to the DEA, 42% of pills tested for fentanyl contain a lethal dose. It is added to other drugs to cheaply enhance the potency of the drug, often without the user’s knowledge.
“Oftentimes people are seeking out what they can get and what their dealer has, but people also want to be able to predict what effect it might have and what they are taking which you can’t do with any random drug. But people should also know that fentanyl is essentially ubiquitous in the drug supply. Certainly heroin and other opioid pills, but it’s also now showing up amphetamines and cocaine. If somebody is using other drugs, be aware that they could unknowingly be using fentanyl,” Dr. Josh Radke, the associate professor of clinical faculty at the University of Iowa said.
Since the pandemic there has been a rise in drug use as a result of social isolation, people feel lonely and disconnected from each other. This presents a challenge to those in which social interaction is a mental health outlet according to a study conducted by Addiction Science and Clinical Practices.
“During the pandemic, it was harder for people to find mental health and substance use resources,” Frost said.
Another issue is during the pandemic it became increasingly easy to access drugs on the internet and using social media apps. For example, features of social media apps such as Snapchat’s feature in which chats delete after 24 hours enables dealers to sell drugs and then the evidence of the dealing is gone according to the Guardian.
“There have been factors within social media that have made it easier for people to access drugs than it is to get the mental health help that they actually need,” Kayla Borja Frost said.
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