{"id":19770,"date":"2025-07-27T17:35:10","date_gmt":"2025-07-27T16:35:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/?p=19770"},"modified":"2025-10-21T20:53:48","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T19:53:48","slug":"increased-youth-overdose-deaths-from-fentanyl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/2025\/07\/increased-youth-overdose-deaths-from-fentanyl\/","title":{"rendered":"Increased Youth Overdose Deaths From Fentanyl"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Posted\u00a0July 21, 2025 by Mark S Gold, M.D.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Key points<\/span><\/h3>\n
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  • Youth overdose deaths are high as illicit drugs are often contaminated with fentanyl and other synthetics.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • The “One Pill Can Kill” initiative warns\u2014especially youth and parents\u2014of counterfeit pills with fentanyl.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Recent Baltimore mass casualties remind us the overdose landscape is changing, but fentanyl is a constant.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
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    On July 10, 2025, first responders in Baltimore discovered numerous individuals simultaneously overdosing in the same neighborhood. Twenty-five people ages 25-55 were hospitalized, five in critical condition. There were no deaths. All victims had bought and used a neighborhood street sample of opioids, and testing revealed the drug mixture included fentanyl, N\u2011methylclonazepam (a benzodiazepine not approved in the United States), acetaminophen, mannitol, quinine, and caffeine. The benzodiazepine caused prolonged unconsciousness, even after naloxone was given.<\/span><\/p>\n

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    Baltimore has one of the highest overdose rates of any city in the United States. One reason for this is that illicit drug manufacturers constantly add new substances, prolonging the drug\u2019s effects, making users feel different or more powerful. Adding xylazine or medetomidine created the zombie drug crisis in Philadelphia. But combining opioids with benzodiazepines is dangerous because both drugs cause sedation, making it harder to breathe. In 2021, nearly 14 percent of fatal opioid overdoses in the United States involved benzodiazepines, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Most recently, fentanyl has been used with methamphetamine, the synthetic speedball, or cocaine, but more recently, Canadians have reported that their fentanyl has become contaminated with benzodiazepines. This synthetic benzodiazepine-laced opioid concoction is often called “benzodope.” It poses amplified risks for people who use fentanyl.<\/span><\/p>\n

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    While national overdose fatalities declined in 2024, fentanyl alone or in combination remains a leading cause of preventable death in young people. Over the past decade, drug overdoses among young people have surged, killing 230,000+ people under 35 years old. Opioids, particularly fentanyl and other synthetics, are driving the high overdose death rate among adolescents and adults.<\/span><\/p>\n

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    Julie Gaither, Ph.D., from the Yale School of Medicine, analyzed Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data on children and teens under 20. She found that 13,861 youths died from opioids from 1999-2021\u2014about 37.5 percent of those deaths involved fentanyl. Teens ages 15-19 years made up 90 percent of the fentanyl deaths. In about 17 percent of cases, the child or\u00a0teen\u00a0also had ingested benzodiazepines. Yale’s analysis showed there were 175 pediatric opioid deaths in 1999, and 5 percent involved fentanyl. In 2021, there were 1,657 pediatric opioid deaths, and 94 percent (1,557) involved fentanyl.<\/span><\/p>\n

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    This frightening trend was confirmed in a recent 2025 study in\u00a0Pediatrics,\u00a0<\/em>which reported on synthetic opioid\u2013involved youth overdose deaths in the United States over 2018\u20132022. This study proved fentanyl alone is the primary and fastest-rising cause of overdose deaths in adolescents. Worse, overdose rates among young adults ages 20\u201324 were even higher: a 168 percent increase in deaths involving synthetic opioids alone (primarily fentanyl).<\/span><\/p>\n

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    There have been some changes in the victims. In 2018, white non-Hispanic youth had the highest synthetic opioid\u2013only death rates. But by 2022, synthetic opioid\u2013only death rates surged among Black, American Indian\/Alaska Native (AI\/AN), and Hispanic youth, surpassing opioid deaths of white youth.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Overview by Age Group: Some Good News<\/span><\/h2>\n

    Accidents\/unintentional injuries remain the leading cause of death among adolescents and youth, with continued high risks from vehicles and firearms. The good news is that\u00a0alcohol, cannabis, and nicotine use remained at historic lows in 2024. Also, in the first significant drug decline since the pandemic, overdose deaths plummeted from about 110,000 in 2023 to 80,000 in 2024.<\/span><\/p>\n

    In the Monitoring the Future (MTF) study of adolescents (8th, 10th, 12th graders), prescription narcotics misuse among 12th graders was less than 1 percent (0.6 percent), a record low. Factors driving this decline were the extended effects of\u00a0COVID-19\u00a0(reduced\u00a0peer pressure\/socializing), rising health risk awareness, increased health consciousness, and shifts toward online engagement.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Sean Esteban McCabe, Ph.D., at the University of Michigan, and colleagues analyzed data from the annual MTF study from 2009 to 2022. This data revealed that the nonmedical use of prescription opioids, benzodiazepines, and stimulants significantly declined over that time frame.<\/span><\/p>\n

    McCabe and colleagues provided solid explanations for the decline in medical and nonmedical use of prescription opioids. For example, over the past decade, treatment guidelines and other sources have discouraged prescribing of opioids for\u00a0chronic pain\u00a0and sometimes even acute pain. Also, they have recommended limited quantities of drugs if opioids\u00a0are<\/em>\u00a0prescribed.<\/span><\/p>\n

    One question is whether the much more circumscribed prescribing of opioids is solely responsible for current declines in use, or if the key factor is changing attitudes toward using opioids among adolescents. Additional research is needed.<\/span><\/p>\n

    The One Pill Can Kill Initiative<\/span><\/h2>\n

    The \u201cOne\u202fPill\u202fCan\u202fKill\u201d (OPCK) initiative was launched by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in September 2022 as part of a public safety prevention initiative to alert Americans to a surge in counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl. DEA lab analyses had revealed an alarming trend: In 2021, around 4 of every 10 fake pills contained potentially lethal fentanyl doses; by 2022, that number rose to 6 of 10. In 2024 alone, U.S. law enforcement intercepted 60+ million fentanyl-laced pills.<\/span><\/p>\n

    The OPCK campaign includes\u00a0social media\u00a0tools, educational materials, partnerships (e.g., NFL Alumni Health), and urging people to trust\u00a0only<\/em>\u00a0prescribed pills dispensed by licensed pharmacists.<\/span><\/p>\n

    The initiative is credited with raising public awareness and increasing demand for interventions like fentanyl test strips and naloxone.<\/span><\/p>\n

    CADCA (Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America) supports a network of 5,000+ community-based coalitions spanning all states, territories, and 30+ countries that actively embrace the DEA\u2019s One\u202fPill\u202fCan\u202fKill messaging through educational materials, public health toolkits, and visible co-branding at national events. CADCA reinforces messages and embeds core warnings from the DEA initiative within its broader community prevention strategies. Nationally, award-winning coalitions have reported measurable reductions in youth\u00a0substance misuse\u00a0and environmental changes supporting prevention strategies.<\/span><\/p>\n

    These combined interventions may be contributing to reductions in opioid overdose deaths. A notable illustrative case comes from Laredo, Texas, where fentanyl-related deaths dropped by half, from 67 in 2023 down to 34 in 2024.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Summary<\/span><\/h2>\n

    New data reveal fentanyl is the principal driver in adolescent overdose deaths. Adolescent substance use has declined to levels not seen in decades. However, overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids only (predominantly fentanyl) rose significantly in youths. Methamphetamine is also a growing concern, and 70+ percent of drug poisonings involving methamphetamine in both 2023 and 2024 included one or more opioids. These findings highlight the urgent need for age-specific and culturally informed prevention strategies like the One Pill Can Kill Initiative.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

    Source:\u00a0 https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/us\/blog\/addiction-outlook\/202507\/increased-youth-overdose-deaths-from-fentanyl<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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    About the Author<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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    \"Mark<\/span><\/div>\n
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    Mark S. Gold, M.D.,\u00a0<\/strong>is a pioneering researcher, professor, and chairman of psychiatry at Yale, the University of Florida, and Washington University in St Louis. His theories have changed the field, stimulated additional research, and led to new understanding and treatments for opioid use disorders, cocaine use disorders, overeating, smoking, and depression.<\/span><\/p>\n

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