WHAT A WAY TO GO 🙁 –
Dec. 22, 2022 – In September, Melanie Ramos, 15, died from a suspected fentanyl overdose after taking a fake Percocet. Alexander Neville, 14, passed away from a fentanyl overdose in 2020 after taking what he thought was an oxycontin pill. Zachary Didier, 17, also overdosed in 2020 after buying fentanyl-laced Percocet on Snapchat. In 2019, Trevor Leopold, 18, died after taking what he believed to be oxycodone. While the data relating to overdose-related deaths would appear to indicate more teens are dangerous and taking illicit drugs, The Department of Health and Human Services reported 2021 marked the largest single-year decrease in adolescent substance use since 1975.
“The bottom line is the drug landscape has changed,” said Ed Ternan, president of Song for Charlie, a Pasadena-based organization that addresses the risks of drug use in the age of fentanyl. “Street drugs are no longer plant-based, but rather a random mixture of chemicals. You need to know what is going on so you can protect yourself and your friends.”
