OPINION: Parents are vital partners with public schools in battling opioids

The Mat-Su Opioid Task Force believes parents are vital partners in providing their children with the most current and accurate information regarding opioid misuse, especially with the troubling trends of fentanyl.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50 times more powerful than heroin and 100 times more powerful than morphine.

In fact, fentanyl has contaminated heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine. Also, it is in counterfeit pills like Percocet, Xanax, Oxycontin and even Adderall.

In addition, the Drug Enforcement Administration has now alerted the public that six out of 10 counterfeit pills contain a potentially lethal dose. And it only takes 2 mg of fentanyl to be a lethal dose. In short, the only safe drugs come directly from a physician or licensed pharmacist.

In our conversations with youth, I am not suggesting using a catchy slogan, a one-liner or using scare tactics. Parents have to become well-informed with the facts to have those honest and important conversations with their children. One gram of fentanyl, the size of an artificial sweetener packet, can kill 500 people.

Next, the Mat-Su Opioid Task Force believes all our public schools can be an insurance policy to provide all middle and high school students with facts and data regarding opioids to make life-saving choices.

I believe we want all our youth to be safe, healthy and thriving. If you believe we need that insurance policy for drug prevention and education, I suggest you contact your legislators to support HB 6: Opioid Awareness in Public Schools.

Unfortunately, Alaska’s health curriculum has not been reviewed or revised since 2017 with no standards addressing opioids, much less fentanyl. And that is true for any teacher resources, with no current information and/or explaining the dangers of fentanyl. There needs to be opioid awareness for our youth as soon as possible.

It is opioid roulette that can be a nightmare alley with a dead end for families, loved ones and friends. The stakes are too high. It is not a carnival game and we can not be naive or leave our youth unprepared.

I am convinced we have to move upstream with primary drug prevention and education to cut off the flow into the river of addiction. Alaska had the largest per capita jump nationally for drug overdoses, and the majority of those overdoses/poisonings were due to fentanyl. The Alaska Law Enforcement annual report stated that last year, 26.85 kilograms ( 59 lbs.) of fentanyl were seized — that’s enough to cause as many as 13 million fatal overdoses. Also, a few weeks ago, a drug bust took place at the Juneau Airport with the seizure of 5,000 counterfeit Oxycodone pills, with a street value of $150,000.

There is no doubt, fentanyl is widespread across the state, in the form of counterfeit pills and in every street drug out there. Parents and public schools can partner to ensure youth know how opioids “hack and whack the brain.” Opioid misuse can lead to tolerance, dependence and addiction, with dire consequences.

Finally, parents, youth and public school teachers need a menu and/or toolbox of resources, that includes facts, data and definitions for opioid awareness all across Alaska. Thank you for considering supporting HB 6: Opioid Awareness in Public Schools.

Michael Carson serves as chair of the Mat-Su Opioid Task Force.

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