Narcotic Abuse by Teens
United States Attorney William Hochul, Jr. recently shared the following message with our district:
As I do each year I am writing to share what I believe are some of the most serious issues impacting our middle and high school students today. But as a new school year unfolds, I write with an even greater sense of urgency.
In the past, I have warned of the abuse of narcotics by our young people. Unfortunately, too many teenagers continue to use prescription drugs without the approval of a doctor. I have also alerted you to the dangers of heroin, and most recently, heroin mixed with fentanyl.
The good news is that according to monitoringthefuture.org, drug use overall by students in grades 8-12 has decreased. The proportion of 12th graders misusing prescription drugs also declined - from 17.1% in 2005 to 13.9% in 2014. Regrettably, some have exchanged prescription pills for heroin.
Heroin on its own is highly addictive and potentially deadly. When mixed with fentanyl, the consequences can be much more severe. In 2013, my office charged the first ever defendant accused, of selling this mixture which resulted in the death of an individual. While that defendant now stands convicted, other defendants have replaced him and have likewise been charged with the same crime.
The entire community, and in particular our young people, need to know the dangers of this mixture which can result in death in mere minutes after it enters the body. Naloxone, also known as Narcan, has saved literally hundreds of lives but for some, there are no second chances. We in the law enforcement community will continue to prosecute those who traffic in these deadly narcotics. But my goal is to be as proactive as possible in educating students and encouraging them to avoid these potentially deadly choices.
There are plenty of good resources available and several are linked below.
In addition to prescription drugs, heroin, and fentanyl, you should continue to monitor the dangers of various "synthetic" drugs, including marijuana. The latest form of synthetic-marijuana is a liquid which is being seen in some electronic cigarettes. In April of this year, law enforcement officers recovered three gallons of suspected liquid synthetic cannabinoids in our community.
The Assistant United States Attorneys in our Buffalo and Rochester offices are working extremely hard to prosecute any individuals who traffic in any of these substances. They are also available to provide educational resources for parents and students as requested.