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A new study published in The New England Journal of Medicine reported a record number of high school teens died of drug overdoses in 2022. The overdoses were found to be due to an alarming trend driven primarily by fentanyl poisonings from counterfeit pills.
Based on the data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Boston researchers revealed that an average of 22 adolescents between the ages of 14 to 18 years old died each week in the U.S. from drug overdoses. According to the study titled “The Overdose Crisis Among U.S. Adolescents”, the death rate for teen drug overdoses is more than double what it was in 2018.
Teen Drug Overdose: About The Study
According to the study reported by Fox News, a total of 1,125 teens died of drug poisoning making it the third-leading cause of death for teenagers across the country after firearm-related injuries and motor vehicle crashes.
Speaking to Fox News, senior author Dr. Scott Hadland, chief of the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine at MassGeneral Hospital for Children and Harvard Medical School, says: “Fewer teens than ever are actively using drugs, and yet more teens than ever are dying… drug use isn’t becoming more common, it’s becoming more dangerous.”
Researchers found at least 75% of adolescent drug overdose deaths were caused by fentanyl poisonings, and other studies revealed those poisonings mainly occur when teens unintentionally consume fake pills laced with a lethal dose of the synthetic opioid.
Parental Caution
According to the article by Fox News, experts urge parents to discuss the dangers of counterfeit pills and also suggest they keep over-the-counter Naloxone or Narcan – overdose reversal medicine, easily available at home. Hadland says: “I recommend that parents and teens keep this in their homes in a central location, just like you would a fire extinguisher.”
Simultaneously, as doctors recommend parents to stress the importance of staying clean to their teens, he also encourages them to have candid conversations about risk and coping strategies for those experimenting with narcotics. He adds: “We can’t use scare tactics…studies show that when we’re overly dramatic, teens will sometimes do the opposite of what we hope they’ll do.”
Anti-Fentanyl Legislation
Grammy-nominated singer Jason DeFord, also known to fans as Jelly Roll, urged lawmakers on Thursday, 11th January, to pass anti-fentanyl legislation in an effort to help save lives, ABC News reported. During his opening remarks, DeFord said: “I was a part of the problem. I am here now, standing as a man that wants to be a part of the solution.”
Having struggled with addiction and even dealing drugs at some point, the 39-year-old American rapper turned country singer has been vocal about his history of drug abuse. He shares his story in the Hulu documentary titled ‘Save Me.’
DeFord testified in front of the Senate Committee as ranking member Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) who continued to push for approval of his bill, the Fentanyl Eradication and Narcotics Deterrence (FEND) Off Fentanyl Act. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration reports an estimate that six out of 10 fentanyl-laced fake pills may contain a lethal dose of fentanyl.
DeFord shares his lack of knowledge of drugs during his period of using narcotics also adding that the drug dealers today are doing the same thing he used to do. He adds: “They’re mixing every drug on the market with fentanyl, and they’re killing the people we love.”
