Teen Drug Use Is On the Rise

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health.harvard.edu

Fentanyl use kills 3 teens in North Texas.

Isabella Perez, Reporter

School is for gaining an education and preparing for a future. However, it seems some teens are using their time in school to partake in drug use. Even worse, they’re becoming addicted, and parents are left wondering what to do.

Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD is a school district in North Texas, home to a collection of “inexplicable” fentanyl-related deaths and injuries in students. Just last month, Lilia Astudillo, a mother from the district, said she had begged for help from her 13-year-old son’s school before he died of an alleged fentanyl overdose. She reported to the school that her son was acting out unexpectedly and wanted to get him help. The school, however, dismissed the request. In an interview with Dallas Morning News, Astudillo stated, “Had the district helped me when I reached out, my son wouldn’t be dead today.”

This isn’t the only case, either. In total, three students have died, and 6 others were injured. The culprit, a distribution of fentanyl-laced pills from the suspected hands of Luis Eduardo Navarrete and Magaly Mejia Cano, both adults from outside of the school.

Carmin Williams, in a situation similar to Astudillo, reported her concerns to the school when her 13-year-old daughter had become addicted to fentanyl. Still, the school didn’t respond. In another interview with Dallas Morning News she said, “I, deep down in my heart, feel like my daughter never had a chance. Nobody cared when I cried to them and told them what was going on in these schools. Nobody cared.” Williams tried everything to help her daughter, even sending her to rehab centers.

According to the NCDAS, 46.6% of teens have tried illicit drugs by the time they’re in 12th grade. The misuse of drugs in teens is rising, and parents like Astudillo and Williams are facing the consequences for things out of their control. “I didn’t get help … they didn’t want to help me.” Astudillo said, referencing the unfortunate disregard of her son’s case. Parents continue to gather around CFBISD, remembering those that have been lost.