Due to the spread and usage of Fentanyl, schools needed to have an overdose plan in place, which includes Narcan. “It’s important for schools to have Narcan available, because it can save someone’s life,” Health Academy Advisor Uriel Gutierrez said.

Most people know what Fentanyl is, but people should now be focusing on how much deadlier it is compared to other opioids.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is  50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine and is the most deadly cause of overdoses in the U.S. 

According to CDCP (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), “an estimated 187 people in the U.S die everyday of opioid overdoses, most involving illicit and dangerous versions of Fentanyl.” 

While this issue affects adults, it is now making its way to teens. Synthetic drugs are disguised in colors to make them more appealing for younger age groups. A brightly-colored Fentanyl, otherwise known as Rainbow Fentanyl “has been identified as a new trend in the United States,” according to the CDC. 

Luckily, there is a drug that can reverse the opioid overdose – Naloxone, otherwise known as Narcan. Narcan is a medicine that rapidly reverses overdoses caused by opioids like Fentanyl.

With 2023’s opioid crisis many lives were taken from painkillers and synthetic drugs like fentanyl. This issue continues to rise. It is very important that people are taking precautions and understanding what narcan is and how they can have access to it. With almost 85% of those overdoses being teens, more awareness is needed to educate students on how to stay safe in crisis situations like these. 

The rates of fentanyl use/overdose for 2021 were 65 opioid related deaths in Monterey County. This is mainly because of counterfeit prescription pills with fentanyl. Luckily, there have been no incidents of overdoses in the SUHSD, but there have been several confiscations of Fentanyl pills in Salinas. 

On October 16, 2023, Governor Newson signed and approved Melanie’s Law which mandated all middle school and high schools to have a safety plan set in place for an overdose. Law SB 10, otherwise known as Melanie’s Law, is named in honor of Melanie Ramos, a 15-year-old who overdosed on fentanyl September 2022 and died in the bathroom of her high school.

Thankfully, Narcan is available on campus. All Health tech staff are trained to administer and so is the probation officer.  Health Science teacher Carolyn Cleaves has one box containing 2 applications, Health Academy Advisor Uriel Gutierrez has 2 boxes each containing 2 applications. Staff on campus are not mandated to go through training for administering Narcan, but if a staff member wants it, they can be trained for it. 

“It’s important for schools to have Narcan available because it can save someone’s life,” Gutierrez said. 

If you are interested in getting your own free Narcan Nasal Spray click the following link: 

https://endoverdose.net/get-certified/?new=true

Tutorial on how to administer Narcan and identify an overdose.
How to Use Naloxone or NARCAN Nasal Spray