We lose 300 people every day to fentanyl poisoning. People of all ages and demographics are vanishing before our eyes. This has become the leading cause of death for people ages 18-45. Imagine if it was your child, parent, sibling, or friend. Wouldn't you want to stop this from happening to someone else? I am deeply concerned about the rising number of young people in not only my community but also the nation, who are losing their lives to fentanyl poisoning due to not being educated on usage. This issue is personal to me; I have lost too many classmates to this and have witnessed the devastating effects of this epidemic firsthand.

Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, is 50-100 times more potent than morphine and has been linked to an increasing number of overdose deaths across the country. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), In 2021, 110,000 people lost their lives to synthetic opioids; fentanyl accounted for nearly 73% of all opioid overdose deaths in 2021.

Despite these alarming statistics, there remains a lack of awareness about the dangers associated with fentanyl use among students. Therefore, we must take immediate action to educate our youth about this deadly drug.

I am proposing that all high schools and colleges be required to enter awareness into their course curriculum. High schools could hold an assembly on the fentanyl epidemic at least once per academic year. Colleges could enter this into their First Year Foundation classes, as drug use is a common problem in college students. These assemblies or educational seminars should provide accurate information on how dangerous this drug can be and share practical steps on how students can prevent accidental poisoning and addiction. They should also provide resources to get help if students are aware of a fentanyl situation.

By implementing such education and assemblies, we can arm our young people with knowledge that could potentially save their lives or those around them. Many organizations can help the schools in educating their students. Facing Fentanyl (https://facingfentanylnow.org), an organization founded by Andrea Thomas, works to educate people nationwide to spread awareness and try to prevent more lives from being lost. They also provide schools with poisoning reversal kits and more resources like this. 

Please sign this petition if you believe in safeguarding our future generations from the imminent dangers of fentanyl.