With fentanyl overdoses on the rise since 2013, it’s become a worry for the general public. There are many misconceptions about what drugs fentanyl is put into, and it’s been getting worse. Many marijuana products are now being laced with various opioids, causing teens and adults to fall victim to overdoses and deaths.

I feel there’s a lot of shame when talking about the epidemic, as many people will assume you’re a hard drug user. There’s even some shame — though it’s gotten better — about smoking weed recreationally. But this is something that needs to be talked about, whether schools want to acknowledge it or not. It’s known that there are students on campus that do drugs; it’s not something we can prevent, and it’s not something that’s going to change.

It’s the school’s responsibility to ensure students are safe, so they can explore life without worrying about overdoses or having to witness their friends overdosing. 

If the PSAs and DARE programs aren’t enough to get students to stop, then there’s no reason why schools shouldn’t work to protect young students in other ways. It’s better to practice harm reduction than to shame or lecture students out of doing drugs. 

This is why I think Narcan should be offered to students on campus for free, or for a reduced price. In 2021, there were close to 71,000 deaths involving opioids, which could have been prevented if we had practiced teaching students how to safely protect themselves and their peers from overdoses. 

It’s a concern that should plague our minds, as many LMC students are buying drugs and using them without considering an overdose. The best solution to this problem is to not only build an awareness amongst drug users, but their sober peers as well. 

There are many ways schools can prevent their students from falling victim to the epidemic, whether it be offering Narcan on campus, having a workshop that teaches safe practices, or establishing a center that allows students to test the content of their drugs for mistreatment without fear of being shamed or reported. 

This isn’t me promoting drug use, or saying that drugs are “okay.” But if students are going to use them, it’s better to keep them safe from the epidemic that is becoming inevitable. Together, both schools and students can raise awareness about what we’re seeing, and what we could see happen to those closest to us. 

If students aren’t listening to PSAs or being told not to do drugs, then we need to give them a support system that helps them stay safe throughout their journey