There is a real public health crisis among America’s young people, and it isn’t COVID-19. Every day, more than 300 of our children and loved ones are poisoned with fentanyl — an extremely lethal drug often disguised as other medications and hidden in party drugs popular among our youth. Yet many leaders in this country refuse to talk about it, let alone work to stop it.
When COVID-19 hit, multiple agencies at the federal, state and local levels conducted massive public service campaigns. Posters, radio, TV and social media ads instructed us to wash our hands, cover our cough, keep our distance, wear a mask, and get vaccinated. According to the CDC, 1,494 Americans aged 0-18 years have died of COVID-19.
That number pales in comparison to fentanyl poisonings.
The American public needs to understand these fentanyl deaths aren’t classic overdoses among addicts. These aren’t broken kids with “substance use disorder.” The overwhelming majority aren’t actively seeking fentanyl at all. Rather, in an age where medication is advertised wall-to-wall on our TVs, radio and social media, kids (like adults) think they can take a pill to fix anything, including stress and anxiety — conditions rampant among young people.