GRADES 7-12
About 22 high school age adolescents died each week from overdoses in 2022, driven by fentanyl-laced prescription pills
An average of 22 adolescents 14 to 18 years of age died in the U.S. each week in 2022 from drug overdoses, raising the death rate for this group to 5.2 per 100,000-- driven by fentanyl in counterfeit pills, new research finds.
Adolescent overdoses had more than doubled among this group between 2019 and 2020, and have since intensified to such an extent that the death count equals a high school classroom each week, and is now the third largest cause of pediatric deaths behind firearm-related injuries and motor vehicle collisions.
The increase is, however, not due to more illicit drug use (old drugs) – which has in fact fallen over the years; for example, excluding cannabis, the rate of any illicit drug use among just 12th graders had fallen from about 21% to 8% in the 20 years since 2002. Instead, the increase is the result of drugs becoming deadlier due to fentanyl, which is increasingly found in counterfeit oxycodone, benzodiazepines and other fake prescription pills that fall into the hands of adolescents. Illicit fentanyl and other emerging toxic substances are prevalent in today's drug supply and are increasingly found in both pills and powders.
The message used to be, "Don't do drugs because it'll ruin your life...The message now is, "Don't do drugs because you're going to die"
-Michael Fiore
A FILM BY DOMINIC TIERNO & CHRISTINE WOOD
Death delivered to your doorstep. Deceptive drugs made of fentanyl are killing young people across America at an alarming rate. Fentanyl is infiltrating our communities through counterfeit pills, cocaine, and any other street drug you can name. Anonymously sold through social media and delivered within minutes. Learn about it now in this 21-minute documentary before it kills ...
Death delivered to your doorstep. Deceptive drugs made of fentanyl are killing young people across America at an alarming rate. Fentanyl is infiltrating our communities through counterfeit pills, cocaine, and any other street drug you can name. Anonymously sold through social media and delivered within minutes. Learn about it now in this 21-minute documentary before it kills ...
Come Back Home
Courtesy of the Alexander Neville Foundation
A FILM BY DOMINIC TIERNO & CHRISTINE WOOD
View the new 25-minute documentary film that delves into the lives of younger people who survived the loss of their loved ones to fentanyl.Like the previous film, Dead on Arrival, this film is a trek through the ever-growing illicit drug industry that is reshaping American life, destroying people, and changing history.
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social media harms psa
Social Media Warning Video
The PSA we provide on illicit fentanyl is easy to share and perfect for parents, students, and teachers. Simply include it in a mass text or include in an email for quick distribution—making it accessible for everyone to share and increase awareness.
