Authored by Miguel Borbon
The Epidemic Within a Pandemic…
If you or someone you know is struggling with or is believed to have substance abuse, use these resources to help understand the situation and call the best resource to mitigate the abuse.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
1-800-662-4357
Text HOME to 741741
1-844-289-0879
The pandemic has been tremendously difficult for many and for some, they find themselves more isolated and with more time than ever before. From starting new hobbies to exploring new passions, there was time to start anew but for some, time and isolation are all it takes to bring back old habits and maybe even bad ones. For many struggling or who have struggled with substance use, it is something that doesn’t necessarily go away, but will enable even the soberest back onto a path of substance abuse. Data show an increase in substance use overall across different age groups. Drug use in teens and young adults has decreased, but there has been a dangerous increase in teen deaths associated with drug use, and it is not stopping.
Fentanyl laced into drugs is the leading contributor to most teen and adolescent deaths, even with a decline in teen and adolescent drug use. Statistically, this age group is the most susceptible to drug use, as social media and social pressures allow teens and young adults to experience and experiment with drugs of varying degrees. 50% of teens know at least one person who uses drugs (cannabis or hard drugs). Anywhere from kids to young adults are susceptible to drug use and even misuse. As the drug and prescription business boomed during the pandemic, so did the illegal drug market. For context on why there are increasing deaths on drug use, there needs to be an understanding of the exact drug killing teens: Fentanyl.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that can be found in both medical settings and hardcore drug use. Although used as a painkiller, Fentanyl is used to cut with different drugs such as cocaine, heroin, and crack in order to reduce profits. In many instances, many drug users who overdosed on hardcore drugs often found that their bodies had more traces of fentanyl than the drug itself.
Fig. 1: From Umass article on Fentanyl. The image shows several compounds color-coded to identify parts of Fentanyl
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