Fentanyl is causing an overdose epidemic among American youth

A new study from US health authorities shows that the number of drug overdoses among people ages 10 to 18 in the US more than doubled between 2019 and 2021.

And it is in particular fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, that drives growth. Fentanyl is an addictive substance and is relatively easy to produce in homemade varieties. The substance flooded the US pharmaceutical market in recent years.

On average, the monthly number of overdoses among young adults increased 109 percent between 2019 and 2021, according to the US public health institute CDC. The number of illegal fentanyl overdoses increased by 182 percent.

Primarily stronger materials

At the same time, the use of illicit substances decreased among youth in the same period. It may appear that the sharp increase in the number of deaths was primarily due to powerful drugs.

The CDC study shows that about one in four overdoses among young adults is linked to illegal pills. It is often sold under the guise of the pain reliever Oxycodone or the anxiety medication Alprazolam, better known as Xanax.

The CDC’s estimate is probably too low. Pills found at a site of an overdose are not always tested for.

More than 1,800 overdoses

– The report notes that the prevalence of illegal pills among young people is very worrying, especially given the marketing targeting this age group and the reach of social media.

Furthermore, the CDC writes, it is rarely clear whether young people actually meant to take the appropriate pharmaceutical drugs, or whether they were aware they were illegal substances when they took such an overdose.

A total of 1,808 overdoses among youth ages 10 to 18 were reported between July 2019 and December 2021, in 31 US states plus Washington, D.C.

It will enhance awareness

The median rate, that is, the median value, was 32.5 overdose deaths per month in the second half of 2019. In the same period two years later, it was as high as 68 deaths per month, an increase of 109 percent.

Immediate action must be taken to prevent overdose deaths among young adults, says CDC report.

Among other things, they propose to promote various campaigns that warn of the dangers of illegal pills.

At the same time, they want to make young people aware that there are tests that can detect fentanyl concentration.

The CDC report also suggests raising awareness of the antagonist naloxone, which can block the effects of opioids and is used in overdose.

Most of them are in West Virginia

In total, nearly 1 million people have died from drug overdoses in the United States since 1999, the CDC writes on its website. website.

Apparently there are most overdose deaths in the relatively poor and remote state of West Virginia. There were 81.4 overdose deaths per 100,000 population in 2020, while South Dakota had just 10.3.

In total, opioids have been linked to more than 500,000 deaths in the United States over the past two decades, and the number has increased sharply in recent years.

Where previously it was mainly about prescription drugs, now the illegal production of fentanyl has captured a large part of the market. The substance is also mixed with other illegal substances.

Settlement between pharmacies and authorities

Pharmacy chains CVS and Walgreens this fall agreed with a number of states to pay local authorities more than $10 billion in compensation. This amounts to about NOK 100 billion. Wal-Mart, which operates pharmacies in a number of its stores, also agreed to a $3.1 billion settlement.

At the same time, individuals also started filing lawsuits against the authorities who allowed the epidemic to spread.

In September, a 15-year-old girl was found dead in a Los Angeles high school restroom. The mother has now sued the school district, alleging that the school knew about the rampant drug sales.