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Colorado schools crack down on fentanyl

TAKE ACTION| Some 13 of Colorado’s 178 school districts already run Narcan.

SOME 13 SCHOOL DISTRICTS RECEIVED THE NARCAN

Sofía Márquez/ El Comercio de Colorado

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Drug abuse is not something we would like to associate with schoolchildren. But, the reality is that there has been an increase in the number of overdose deaths in minors in the last three years. “In 2021, we had 46 overdose deaths among people ages 10 to 18. This figure means an increase of 27 percent compared to 2020 and 283 percent compared to 2019”, reveals Andrés Guerrero, Manager of the Overdose Prevention Unit at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). Colorado schools crack down on fentanyl.

Some 35 of those 46 overdose deaths of those under 18 involved fentanyl. Guerrero explains that this trend of the last three years in the use of fentanyl in children and young adults requires action. Schools and school districts then become a strategic trench to combat the risks of fentanyl. At the beginning of this new school year, 13 school districts already have in their possession doses of Naloxone, or Narcan, a medicine that can save a person suffering from a fentanyl overdose.

School districts will administer the Narcan

School districts and their schools may enter this war against this synthetic opioid due to SB19-227 of 2019 that created the Naloxone Bulk Purchase Fund (NBPF). School districts are one of the eligible entities that can purchase at low cost or receive doses of this opiate antagonist as a donation. Under the CDPHE, school districts can order up to 108 kits, containing 2 doses each, of Narcan nasal spray at any one time.

Although this buyout fund was established three years ago, the number of school districts currently enrolled in the NBPF is quite low. “Of the 178 school districts in the state of Colorado, only 63 school districts are in the process of enrolling in the Naloxone Bulk Purchase Fund. Some 34 of these districts have posted their Narcan handling policy and a request for the drug. Meanwhile, there are 13 districts that met all the requirements and have already received a request for Naloxone”, says a CDPHE bulletin.

In urban and rural areas

These 13 districts that have placed and received at least one order are: 27J Schools; Bayfield School District; Boulder Valley School District; Brush School District; Byers School District; Colorado Springs School District 11; Cherry Creek School District; Clear Creek School District; Englewood School District; Lewis Palmer School District 38; Moffat Consolidated School District No. 2; South Routt School District; and the Upper Rio Grande School District. Eastlake High School also already has the drug Naloxone.

Orders for this drug are not related to a geographic pattern. “Fentanyl overdoses happen everywhere. We have seen overdose problems in every county in the state, from extremely urban areas like Denver, to the most rural and border counties in the state,” Guerrero explains.

Breaking the stigma

The CDPHE official maintains that the pandemic delayed the interest of school districts in administering the Narcan. Another reason many districts are taking so long to apply for naloxone could be due to the stigma surrounding drug use and abuse. “We have to carry Naloxone with us to make sure we can respond in the event of an overdose. The stigma around drug abuse must be broken in order to properly treat substance abuse, especially in school-age children,” said Guerrero.

Very dangerous enemy

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is easily and cheaply manufactured. It can be mixed with other medications to increase its potency. It is 50-100 times stronger than morphine. The dangers of this drug are that since it is so potent, the chances of overdose are incredibly high, especially if a drug user takes it unknowingly.