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(theGrio) As colleges and universities look ahead to the fall semester, school administrators and public health leaders should take the time to prepare for a growing threat that is showing up on campuses: fentanyl.
Colleges and universities have seen a significant increase in mental health issues and in response, programs and resources have been launched to help students face these challenges. Substance use, specifically opioid use, needs to be at the forefront of the planning as we start to prepare for a new year. Fentanyl has been the major factor leading to the doubling of overdose deaths for ages 12 to 17 since the start of the pandemic, according to a Washington Post analysis of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. News comes out daily of fentanyl affecting young children, even babies, but the impact on college campuses demands attention.
Fentanyl can be mixed into non-opioid drugs to increase potency, and students are overdosing because of fentanyl-laced drugs, like cocaine and Adderall, which young adults use socially or to increase academic performance. New evidence suggests young adults lack the knowledge of how to intervene during an opioid overdose. College students should be equipped with the tools to combat the crisis at their door. What can higher education do to prepare their students for the changing world around them as it relates to the current opioid crisis?