In early March, two Portland high school students died from fentanyl overdoses within a day of each other, two of many tragic deaths caused by a growing fentanyl crisis in the United States. Tragic stories like this are only growing as lethal doses of fentanyl make their way into more street drugs.
If someone’s using drugs in Oregon right now, they should assume that what they’re using has a good chance of being contaminated with fentanyl.
Dr. Todd Korthuis, OHSU
Synthetic opioids, primarily fentanyl killed 56,516 people in 2021 and the rate has only increased since then. In 2021, the National Center for Health Statistics reported a 16 percent increase in overdose deaths nationally and a whopping 41 percent in Oregon.
“Oregon peer recovery specialists who directly support people who use drugs in rural communities previously responded to about 5 nonfatal overdose reports per month,” said Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) professor Dr. Todd Korthuis. “Several told me recently that they now encounter 40 to 50 per month.”
The leading cause of these high overdose rates is fentanyl, which can be up to 50 times more powerful than heroin and 100 times more powerful than morphine. They usually come in the form of fentanyl-laced counterfeit pills disguised as OxyContin, Percocet, Xanax and other substances. These counterfeits are often blue, green, or pale-colored. But fentanyl can come in many other forms, including capsules and powders and any drug could be laced with lethal amounts of fentanyl. This was evident when five West Point Cadets overdosed on fentanyl-laced cocaine in early March. The only safe option is to completely avoid drugs that haven’t been prescribed to the user by a medical doctor.
“If someone’s using drugs in Oregon right now, they should assume that what they’re using has a good chance of being contaminated with fentanyl,” said Korthuis.
Although avoiding illicit drugs is crucial for one’s safety, it is also crucial to be prepared in case others do not. Naloxone, better known by its brand name Narcan, exists in both injection form and as an intranasal spray, which can be purchased over-the-counter. It treats narcotics overdoses, including fentanyl with an 81 percent success rate. Experts recommend that everyone carry the nasal spray with them in case of emergency. “Even though you don’t know someone, you could potentially come upon someone who has an opioid overdose,” said Dr. Robert Hendrickson of the Oregon Poison Center.
In some states, members of the community can get naloxone for free. In Oregon, some active opioid users can get it free of charge or partially covered by health insurance.
Signs of overdose include nausea and vomiting, drowsiness, blue-colored lips and fingernails, difficulty breathing, a weak pulse, unresponsiveness to noise and touch, and pupils the size of pinpoints, among many other potential symptoms.
Experts are asking parents and educators to inform students of the dangers of fentanyl and other street drugs. “Most importantly, we need to increase awareness,” said Dr. Sarah Leitz, chief of addiction medicine at Kaiser Permanente Northwest. “Just having these conversations in our community between family, friends, teachers and students is really important because just one pill can be deadly.”
Experts say that while it may be tempting to resort to punishing drug users, creating a culture of punishment dissuades potential victims of drug abuse from seeking help. “We need to save lives,” said Leitz. “Let adolescents know that they’re not alone [and that] if they reach out for help, they’re not going to get in trouble, they’re not going to get kicked out of school.”
To address the problem, the Salem-Keizer school district released a statement with strategies to prevent fentanyl abuse among children. “The best prevention is talking to your student about never taking any medication that doesn’t come from their doctor.” said a message on the Salem-Keizer website. “This includes never taking pills, even from friends.”
The district also recommends practicing open communication, educating children on the risks of substance abuse, listening without judgment to build trust with one’s children and looking for changes in children’s behavior. “Look out for changes in behavior, such as irregular eating or sleeping patterns, low energy, general signs of depression or anxiety, unusual irritability, slipping grades, lack of interest in activities they love, and even drastic clothing style changes,” they said in the statement. “Trust your instincts. If you notice a change, ask about it.” The district also recommended that parents monitor their children’s social media use as the internet is a common place where dealers exchange substances.
States are employing several measures to handle the situation including deploying National Guard units to stop the flow of fentanyl across the Mexican border, increasing access to naloxone, and in some cases working to decriminalize fentanyl test strips, which detect traces of fentanyl in a substance.
