MADD Teen Influencer
December 2022
2 Fentanyl & The Dangers it Holds by Amelia Walker & Riley Ramirez
It’s important to know the right information on fentanyl and the dangers it poses to our community. Now, some of you may wonder, what is fentanyl? Fentanyl is a highly addictive drug that's main important purpose is to treat patients with cancer and to manage pain after surgery. Fentanyl is made with a synthetic opioid that is around 50-100 times stronger than morphine. A synthetic opioid is a
substance that is synthesized in a laboratory and that acts on the same targets in the brain as natural opioids (e.g., morphine and codeine) to produce pain relief effects. Fentanyl is mainly manufactured in Mexico, but is used all over the world today. Drug overdose deaths among teens and young adults have nearly doubled since 2019. Many believe that the pills they buy through social media sites are harmless, but many have died from consuming “fentapills.” Fentanyl is a powder consistency that can kill over 150 people a day when you consume just 3 milligrams (0.0006 teaspoons) of it. Therefore, it can be easily mistaken as your ordinary prescription pills. To be safe, make sure to never take others’ prescription pills or medications. Taking more or less than what your doctor prescribed or mixing your pills with drugs or alcohol can be very deadly to your wellbeing. Fentanyl is hard to see, taste or smell, so we need to be cautious of what we eat or drink. Thankfully, there have been fentanyl test strips created that allow you to see whether your food or drink has been laced with the deadly substance fentanyl. If you or a loved one is suspected to have consumed fentanyl, please call 9-1-1 for the safety of you or another and don't drive with someone you suspect is driving impaired. “Fentanyl is killing Americans at an unprecedented rate,” says DEA Administrator Anne Milgram. So when faced with the dangers or suspects of fentanyl, make sure you stay safe and make the right decisions.
To find out more about fentanyl, visit https://www.dea.gov/factsheets/fentanyl.
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker