Seeing a  fellow peer collapse as a result of drugs is something most students aren’t mentally prepared for. This has become a reoccurrence as of late, especially with different drugs being laced with an even more lethal drug, fentanyl. Overdoses due to fentanyl have increased since quarantine, and are continuing to rise as students have been back in school. A major contributor to this is students that have been selling carts that are from unsafe companies laced with fentanyl.

Only a drop of fentanyl can kill an adolescent. Overdoses due to fentanyl have increased by 56% since 2019. Manufacturers have even made fentanyl in brighter colors to appeal to their younger consumer market. Another concern with these new variations of fentanyl is people distributing it as candy on Halloween. It’s important to be safe and check all received candy to make sure that it is still in the rapper and doesn’t have any suspicious markings on it.

Common drugs can be laced with fentanyl-like carts,  such as over-the-counter drugs, heroin, and cocaine. Carts are the most commonly laced among adolescents, so those are the most common ones that risk an overdose. With an overdose, many don’t realize what’s happening until they start to collapse when it’s already too late.

Teenagers and parents should be mindful of this situation. Teens need to be concerned with what they’re putting in their bodies or it might be too late.