Stop and Think
By nature, teens are curious and gullible. Teens will take substances or drink beverages without considering the repercussions or what could be in them, simply because they are curious. However, trite as it may sound: “Curiosity killed the cat.”
In Calloway County, there has been a recent increase in Fentanyl drug use and overdose. Fentanyl is an aggressive, synthetic opioid used to treat pain. This drug, similar to morphine, is 50 to 100 times more potent and formidable. While this national crisis seems far away, it is not. Fentanyl use is in our own community, sometimes even without the user being aware of it.
While curious at times, students taking ANY illegal pill or substance is taking unnecessary and dire risks nowadays. It is dangerous and possibly deadly to pop a pill, especially with the rise of Fentanyl as, in unprecedented cases, drugs are being laced with fentanyl.
When fentanyl is consumed in uncontrolled, irresponsible, and illegal manners, the results can be fatal. Over consumption of fentanyl can cause respiratory depression, seizures, and reduced blood pressure. According to CCHS resource Officer Brandon Gallimore, "Fentanyl can be obtained by most anyone and is like anything; if you look for it hard enough, you can find it. More recently, it (Fentanyl) has become easier to find."
If you are planning to take any sort of substance, especially from someone you are not sure about, stop and think about where it might have been produced and whose hands it may have been in before yours. An innocent Tylenol, for example, could have dire consequences. Of course, any illegal substance comes with risks. However, with the rise in Fentanyl, the odds of death increase dramatically.
You are responsible for yourself and your well-being, so be considerate. If you need help or have questions, Officer Gallimore is a primary source walking the halls of our school. He sees the effects of drugs in our own community, and he knows the consequences and the repercussions involved.
When asked, "If you had to tell someone why they shouldn’t take drugs, what would you tell them?" Officer Gallimore responded, "I would tell them about what it [Fentanyl] does, not only to the ones taking it, but the families it effects. I'd tell them [prospective drug abusers] about the parents and grandparents who have lost their life savings and homes trying to get their loved ones help. And I'd tell them about the kids growing up without their parents because drugs cost them their freedom or robbed them of their lives."
Not only would taking this substance, or any substance, affect you, but it would affect those around you, too. Be smart with your choices.
