By SDCN Staff
San Diego, CA–The County Board of Supervisors Tuesday unanimously approved Supervisor Jim Desmond, Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer, and District Attorney Summer Stephan’s proposal to require fentanyl awareness education in classrooms, distribute naloxone to parents and students, and train them on how to use the medication; and seek funding to support on-campus drug and alcohol awareness programs.
Accidental deaths caused by fentanyl are the number one killer of people between the ages of 18 and 45, far exceeding the number of deaths caused by car accidents, COVID, heart disease, and gun violence within this age group.
“Fentanyl is a poison, and we need to start treating it like a weapon. One pill can kill,” said San Diego County Supervisor, Jim Desmond. It’s time we confront the realities of fentanyl in our communities. It’s killing our youth and causing extreme harm to our county. We must address this head-on, by talking to our kids and understanding the risks of illicit fentanyl.”
On June 28, the Board of Supervisors unanimously directed the Chief Administrative Officer to work with the Health and Human Services Agency Director to develop recommendations and implementation plans to declare illicit fentanyl as a Public Health Crisis. Part of that effort includes educating and increasing awareness of the devastating and harmful impacts of illicit fentanyl, especially among young people.
“We cannot stand by as young people across our County die tragic deaths from fentanyl,” said Supervisor Lawson-Remer. “With this vote, the County is advancing best practices in harm reduction and redoubling our commitment to keeping San Diegans safe from dangerous drug overdoses.”
Across the United States, there has been a wave of deaths among teens and young adults who bought what they believed to be a prescription pill — like Adderall or Xanax — that turned out to be a counterfeit pill containing a deadly dose of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid a hundred times more potent than morphine. Many of these pills are being traded openly via social media and have been linked to the sale of fentanyl-laced counterfeit pills that have caused the deaths of teens and young adults.
“Today’s Board action can be transformational in saving the lives of our children and youth from the deadly threat of illegal fentanyl,” said DA Summer Stephan. “Unfortunately, key mandates and funding for drug prevention were removed in our state in 2009. Today brings renewed hope that we can empower our students and parents with the knowledge to prevent fentanyl overdoses, which killed 12 children in San Diego County last year.”
Currently, the State of California Education Code does not specifically address the dangers of illicit fentanyl. In 2009 the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities were eliminated and the mandate for school districts to use prevention curriculum was removed and defunded.
“Too many families have lost loved ones that could have been saved if they were armed with the necessary information to make the right choices or the single tool needed to reverse one costly mistake,” said San Diego County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Paul Gothold. “Even one death is too many, which is why all of us at the San Diego County Office of Education and the San Diego County Board of Education are committed to addressing this epidemic.”
