(NewsNation) — As the U.S. remains in the grip of an opioid epidemic, the White House is calling on schools across the country to stock naloxone.
In a letter to U.S. schools, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona and Dr. Rahul Gupta with the Office of National Drug Control Policy said it’s important “that every school has naloxone and has prepared its students and faculty to use it.”
Cardona and Gupta explained the rise of illicit fentanyl and trafficking of the drug on social media is having a disproportionate effect on children.
“Overdose deaths among adolescents doubled from 2019 to 2020 and continue to rise, even though youth rates of drug use have remained stagnant. That’s because a teenager today can log onto social media with a smartphone and buy what they think is an opioid pain medicine or a prescription stimulant to help them study—and instead die from one pill that actually has fentanyl in it. Just one pill,” the letter states.
The letter pointed to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showing that two-thirds of adolescent drug poisoning deaths happened with someone nearby, but naloxone was often not administered.
The White House is encouraging schools to take advantage of naloxone nasal spray’s over-the-counter availability and work with local and state agencies on school responses to drug-related incidents and naloxone access.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration National Helpline is a free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service in English and Spanish for individuals and families facing mental and/or substance use disorders.
You can reach them by calling 1-800-662-HELP (4357) or visit www.samhsa.gov and use the online treatment locator.