Fentanyl Prevention - Middle School

October 1st, 2024

Fentanyl Awareness: Educating and Protecting Our Students

MISD Counseling and Advising is committed to ensuring that parents and guardians are informed about important issues that impact their children's health and safety. Given the rising dangers of fentanyl, we aim to share crucial information about this drug and what the law requires to keep students protected.

In Texas, House Bill 3908 mandates fentanyl prevention and drug poisoning awareness education for students in grades 6 through 12. This law requires school districts, including McKinney ISD, to provide at least 10 hours of instruction annually to educate students on these critical topics.

MISD delivers this vital information to students through multiple channels, including Counselors' Guiding Lessons throughout the school year. These lessons equip students with the knowledge they need to understand fentanyl risks and make informed, safe decisions.

Additionally, MISD offers support to parents through the Talk It Up! Prevention Resources for Parents program. This self-guided online course provides essential information on substance use trends and encourages meaningful family conversations about healthy coping strategies. The course is available for parents to access privately at their convenience.

Below, you’ll find important details about fentanyl—what it is, the symptoms to look out for, how to identify signs of use, where to seek help, and more valuable information to keep your family safe. Please take a moment to review this critical content and learn how you can play a key role in preventing fentanyl-related harm in our community.

For more information about the law, visit HB3908, and for MISD resources, check out Talk It Up!.

Additional resources:

Texas Health and Human Services: Fentanyl - One Pill Kills
DEA: Fentanyl Factsheet (also provides information in Spanish)
CDC: Fentanyl Facts - Stop Overdose

These resources provide detailed information about fentanyl, prevention strategies, and ways to seek help.

What is Fentanyl?

Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid, approved by the FDA for pain relief and anesthesia, that is up to 100 times stronger than morphine and 50 times stronger than heroin. Just 2 milligrams of fentanyl—equivalent to 10 to 15 grains of table salt—can be lethal. Illegally manufactured fentanyl is often mixed with other drugs like heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine, or found in counterfeit pills, which means many people may unknowingly ingest it, leading to accidental poisonings.

Street Names: Fentanyl is commonly referred to on the streets by various names, including Apace, China Girl, China Town, Dance Fever, Friend, Goodfellas, Great Bear, He-Man, Jackpot, King Ivory, Murder 8, Poison, and Tango & Cash.

How It’s Used: Fentanyl can be consumed in several ways: snorted, smoked, taken orally as pills or tablets, or absorbed through patches or blotter paper. It is often sold on its own or mixed with other drugs like heroin, and is frequently found in counterfeit pills designed to resemble prescription medications, such as oxycodone.

Effects on the Body: Like other opioids, fentanyl produces a range of effects including relaxation, euphoria, pain relief, sedation, confusion, drowsiness, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, urinary retention, constricted pupils, and slowed breathing (respiratory depression).

Overdose Effects: An overdose of fentanyl can lead to symptoms such as stupor, small pupils, clammy skin, bluish skin (cyanosis), coma, and respiratory failure, which can be fatal. A classic triad of symptoms—coma, pinpoint pupils, and severe respiratory depression—often indicates opioid intoxication.

Sources: Texas Health & Human Services Commission and DEA

Saving Lives in Texas: The Facts on Fentanyl

Fentanyl is a powerful opioid up to 50 times stronger than heroin. It is a major contributor to accidental drug overdose deaths in Texas. Play the video to watch Becky Stewart share her story about the death of her 19-year-old son, Cameron, from fentanyl poisoning.

Source: https://txopioidresponse.org/fentanyl

"Rainbow Fentanyl" Targeting Children and Teens

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has issued a warning about a troubling new trend involving brightly-colored fentanyl, dubbed "rainbow fentanyl." Since August 2022, law enforcement agencies across 26 states, including Texas, have seized fentanyl in colorful forms resembling candy. This alarming tactic appears to be a deliberate attempt by drug cartels to make the highly addictive and deadly drug more appealing to children and young adults.

Rainbow fentanyl comes in various forms, including pills, powder, and even blocks resembling sidewalk chalk. Despite rumors suggesting that certain colors might be more potent, DEA testing shows that all forms and colors of fentanyl are equally dangerous. Even a small amount of fentanyl—about two milligrams, which is equivalent to a few grains of salt—can be lethal.

DEA Administrator Anne Milgram emphasized that drug traffickers are targeting young people in a deliberate effort to increase addiction. "The DEA is working tirelessly to stop the trafficking of rainbow fentanyl and combat the Mexican drug cartels responsible for the majority of fentanyl in the U.S.," Milgram stated.

Parents and guardians are urged to be vigilant, as these colorful pills can easily be mistaken for candy by children, posing a significant risk of accidental overdose.

Sources: Texas Health and Human Services and DEA

Preventing Fentanyl Overdose: Key Steps to Stay Safe

Accidental fentanyl overdoses are life-threatening, but they can be prevented. Here are some important steps you can take to protect yourself and your loved ones from the dangers of fentanyl.

Talk About Fentanyl

It's crucial to have open, honest conversations about fentanyl with your family, especially with children. Help them understand that even one pill containing fentanyl can result in a deadly overdose. If you’re worried about a loved one who uses substances, approach the conversation calmly, without judgment, and work together on a safety plan.

Only Take Prescribed Medication

To avoid accidental exposure to fentanyl, make sure you or your loved ones only take medication prescribed by a doctor or pharmacist. Pills obtained from other sources, even if they look legitimate, may contain fentanyl or other harmful substances.

Carry Naloxone

Naloxone is a life-saving medication that can reverse an opioid overdose, including one caused by fentanyl. It is available at many pharmacies in Texas without a prescription and can be carried with you or stored at home. Naloxone has no effect on someone who doesn't have opioids in their system, so it’s always better to use it if you suspect someone is overdosing.

Use Fentanyl Test Strips

Fentanyl test strips (FTS) are a simple and affordable tool that can detect the presence of fentanyl in various drugs, such as cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin. While FTS can’t tell you how much fentanyl is present or if certain analogs are involved, they can provide a valuable warning, helping people reduce their risk of overdose. Be aware that FTS may not always work accurately in all cases, but they remain a useful harm reduction strategy.

Lower the Risk of Overdose

Keep naloxone nearby: Always have naloxone on hand, especially if you or someone you know uses opioids.
Avoid mixing substances: Combining drugs like methamphetamine, cocaine, opioids, or alcohol can increase the risk of overdose.
Don’t rely on past experiences: Even if you’ve used drugs before, each use can affect your body differently.
Never use drugs alone: Let someone nearby know if you’ve taken drugs so they can call for help or administer naloxone if needed.

Seek Help for Addiction

If you or a loved one is struggling with substance use, remember that recovery is possible. You can find evidence-based treatment by visiting findtreatment.gov or calling the 24/7 National Helpline at 800-662-HELP (4357).

Sources: CDC (Stop Overdose) and Texas Health and Human Services