Industry Update | The White House's Open Letter to Schools

The White House released an Open Letter to Schools regarding the skyrocketing rates of fentanyl overdose deaths, and recommended measures to prevent youth drug use and overdose.

The administration states “that two-thirds of adolescent drug poisoning deaths occurred with a potential bystander nearby, but naloxone was often not administered.” If students knew better how to use naloxone or of their local Good Samaritan Laws, they may feel more comfortable taking action to save each other's lives. We must familiarize students with how best to keep each other safe and it begins with teaching students smart decision making. 

The letter recommends providing a baseline prevention education that emphasizes smart, autonomous choices for students in order to create a safe and supportive learning environment. Now is the right time to re-evaluate your education around student drug use, face the realities of the current overdose epidemic, and utilize the power that teachers and administration have on the frontlines. The best way to empower students to join the frontline fight is to provide them with content that is made specifically for their age group, unbiasedly explaining the potential risks if they choose to engage in drug use.  

Currently, naloxone is available for purchase without medical training required, expanding access to this lifesaving nose spray. But, giving students naloxone without education is like putting someone in the pilot’s seat of a plane without any flight training. If you have naloxone available on your campus without comprehensive training, it’s likely bystanders in high stress situations won’t feel confident in taking the action necessary to save a life. 

While fentanyl is at the apex, polysubstance use (consumption of 2+ drugs, including alcohol, at the same time) is the second leading cause of overdose. Without the right education in place for naloxone, prescription, and illicit drug use - there is nothing stopping students from falling victim to the crisis. 

These gaps can be filled with comprehensive, unbiased education based in science. The DopaGE platform reviews objective risk profiles of commonly used party drugs while addressing the dangers of polysubstance use, and includes a module for opioid overdose recognition and response. At its core, it teaches smart decision making across the entire campus community in line with what the Executive Administration of the US now recommends.