MCPS faces surge of fentanyl overdoses

By Akshya Mahadevan NEWS WRITER

Death by fentanyl overdose has increased significantly in both Montgomery County and the rest of the United States.

According to an urgent message from the MCPS school sys tem’s medical officers, in 2021, over 70 percent of all overdoses in Montgomery County were fen tanyl-related, including substanc es laced with fentanyl or sub stances that look like something else (e.g., Xanax, Adderall, Perco cet or oxycodone) but had fentan yl in them, oftentimes without the knowledge of the user.

In December 2022 alone, there were three fentanyl-re lated overdoses in MCPS schools, which prompted the school board to treat it as a severe situation. The drug, often used by drug traffickers to increase the potency of their products, is lethal in low doses and very addictive.

In fact, users may need to use the drug as frequently as every 2-3 hours to avoid with- drawal symptoms like extreme nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, anxiety, sweating or chills.

“That’s insane. That’s more often than you eat food,” ju nior Sannidhi Korisepati said.

MCPS had first attempted to spread awareness of this topic through repeated mes sages to the community.

However, these attempts may not be as successful as expected, as junior Abby Adissu was unaware of the crisis.

“It sounds silly, but I thought the opioid epidemic was getting bet ter because I hadn’t heard any thing in a few years,” she said.

MCPS has also made Nar can, a medicine that can counteract opioid overdos es, available to all school levels, including elementary schools. Not only this, the school board has made general training available to all adults, with more specialized training for nurses and administrators, on how to administer the Narcan.

“The rise in overdoses is not unique to Montgomery Coun ty and is happening in school districts regionally and nationwide,” MCPS Chief Medical Officer Dr. Patricia Kapunan said in an interview with Montgomery Community Media.

To take further precautionary measures, access to Narcan and Narcan training has been made available to all county residents for free. Kapunan recommends that families have Narcan at home. However, it is important to note that it is a temporary measure, more impactful than slideshows) but it is good that Narcan is available to everyone,” Korisepati said.

On the other hand, Adissu appreciates the school system’s attempts and sees it as a larger issue. “The real issue is bigger industries, specifically pharmacies and doctors who intentionally overprescribe and addict patients for consistent “customers”, even to high schoolers” she said.

For more information on Narcan access, call Harm Reduc-