“When you take a drug that is not prescribed by your doctor, you are literally putting your life at risk,” said Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Scott.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — DEA Louisville Division officials say fentanyl is targeting Kentucky teens at higher rates than ever before.
Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Scott said the proliferation of counterfeit pills, 70% of which are estimated to contain deadly synthetic opioids, is getting into school walls and being distributed online and online. He said he was targeting students through social media.
“The street corner is now the bedside and the cell phone, especially for young people who are social media and internet savvy,” Scott said. “The ability for them to order counterfeit pills and have them delivered to their homes or dorm rooms is a major change in some drug trafficking and drug seeking behaviors.”
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Louisville drug enforcement officials are urging families to be careful and stay vigilant. In October, the White House also warned school districts about the threat and the need to prepare.
“There are as many agents as I have and they work as hard as I do, but the reality is they're not in your kid's bedroom and they're not in all these high schools. So we I see deals happening there,'” Scott said.
The crisis comes as drug overdose deaths in Kentucky decreased by 5% from 2021 to 2022, but DEA says the threat of fentanyl is increasing year over year, especially among young people. It has said.
The CDC estimates that youth death rates from fentanyl-related overdoses have increased by 182%.
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“Unlike any other time in my memory, if you take a drug that isn't prescribed by your doctor, that isn't directly from the pharmacy, you're really putting your life at risk. [own] Scott told WHAS11 in a sit-down interview. “Every time I take a pill these days, whether it's at a party or on the street, it's literally like playing Russian roulette.”
Less than a month later, a 21-year-old Louisville man was sentenced to 13 years in prison for distributing fentanyl resulting in death.
Scott told WHAS11 that the DEA has changed its view on overdose deaths in recent years. He said that in years past, law enforcement agencies often treated overdoses as unfortunate accidents, but now they are investigating many more cases as crimes, many of which are poisoning cases that warrant prosecution. It has become clear that there is.
Scott said education is king and conversations between parents and children can never start too young.
This year, JCPS expanded its efforts to provide schools with critical medical supplies. The district is currently supplying each school nurse with Narcan.
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