Texas Community Confronts Fentanyl Epidemic After Teen Overdoses

A wave of fentanyl overdoses among teenagers in the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District in Texas has left families in shock and anger. Nearly a dozen students have overdosed on fentanyl from September to March, with three deaths. Fentanyl, a highly potent and addictive synthetic opiate, has ravaged adult populations for nearly a decade, but mass proliferation of the drug in recent years, coupled with a Covid pandemic that eroded teen mental health, has given it a wider path to young people. Median monthly overdose deaths involving fentanyl for people ages 10 to 19 increased 182% from July to December 2019 compared to the same period in 2021, according to a December report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.