FENTANYL ARE ON THE RISE ACROSS

THE COUNTRY.

AND IT'S ESPECIALLY GRIM FOR

YOUNG PEOPLE - MORE THAN 75

PERCENT OF ADOLESCENT OVERDOSE

DEATHS IN 2021 INVOLVED THE

POWERFUL SYNTHETIC OPIOID.

SCHOOLS IN CITIES FROM BALTIMORE

TO TUCSON ARE STOCKING UP ON

NARCAN, MEDICATION USED TO

REVERSE OVERDOSES.

STEPHANIE SY REPORTS FROM

SACRAMENTO, WHERE NARCAN IS NOW

AVAILABLE AT ALL K-12 SCHOOLS.

STEPHANIE: WE MET THIS MOM IN A

PARK IN SACRAMENTO.

SHE DIDN'T WANT TO BE IDENTIFIED

BECAUSE HER 15-YEAR OLD SON IS

STILL BATTLING DRUG ADDICTION.

HE WAS TAKING COUNTERFEIT

PERCOCETS.

>> WHAT THEY DO IS THEY CRUSH

THE PILL AND PUT IT ON FOIL AND

LIGHT IT AND INHALE THE SMOKE.

AND SO THAT'S HOW THEY GET THE

HIGH.

STEPHANIE: SHE CAUGHT IT EARLY

AND INTERVENED.

HE'S ONE OF THE LUCKY ONES.

>> THERE ARE A NUMBER OF

PROMINENT STORIES IN THE AREA OF

TEENS WHO WERE DOING EXACTLY

WHAT MY SON WAS DOING, EXCEPT

THEY ARE NOT ALIVE ANYMORE.

STEPHANIE: PICTURES OF THOSE

TEENS WERE PUT UP IN THIS HIGH

SCHOOL GYMNASIUM IN SACRAMENTO,

CALIFORNIA, AS A HANDFUL OF

PARENTS LISTENED TO AN

INFORMATION SESSION ABOUT

FENTANYL, A SYNTHETIC OPIOID

THAT IS UP TO 100 TIMES MORE

POTENT THAN MORPHINE.

KRISTEL: OVER 16,000 GRAMS JUST

IN A SACRAMENTO COUNTY.

STEPHANIE: KRISTEL SUCHLAND, A

CRIMINALIST FOR THE COUNTY, HAS

RUN TESTS ON STREET DRUGS THAT

HAVE RECENTLY BEEN SEIZED IN THE

AREA.

KRISTEL: EVERYTHING THAT WE ARE

SEEING PILL WISE, 98%, 99% OF

THEM ARE NOT WHAT THEY LOOK

LIKE.

THEY ARE FENTANYL.

THAT'S WHAT WE TRY TO TELL THE

KIDS IS IF YOU'RE GETTING IT OFF

THE STREET, YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT

YOU'RE GETTING BECAUSE IT IS

SHOWING UP IN EVERYTHING YOU

-- IN EVERYTHING.

YOU THINK YOU ARE GETTING, YOU

KNOW, AN OXYCODONE TABLET.

IT'S FENTANYL.

STEPHANIE: ORGANIZED BY A

PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE GROUP

ARRIVE ALIVE CALIFORNIA AND

SACRAMENTO COUNTY HEALTH AND LAW

ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS, THE

PRESENTATION WAS AS MUCH ABOUT

THE DANGERS OF FENTANYL AS IT

WAS A PITCH FOR NARCAN, A

MEDICATION THAT CAN REVERSE

OPIOID OVERDOSES.

ROMAIN: CALIFORNIA SCHOOLS...

STEPHANIE: ROMAINE JONES, A

FATHER OF A HIGH SCHOOL WAS

AMONG THE CONCERNED PARENTS

LISTENING IN.

ROMAINE: THEY CAN PUT THE POWDER

ON WHATEVER AND THE KIDS CAN GET

ADDICTED.

I THINK THEY SHOULD STRESS THAT

A LOT MORE THAN THE PILL,

BECAUSE IT IS BASICALLY ON

EVERYTHING.

STEPHANIE: JONES TOOK A DOSE OF

THE NARCAN NASAL SPRAY MADE

AVAILABLE FOR PARENTS WITH HIM

AS HE LEFT.

FATAL DRUG OVERDOSES AMONG TEENS

NEARLY DOUBLED BETWEEN 2019 AND

2020 -- FROM 492 DEATHS TO 954

DEATHS.

LAST YEAR, THERE WERE 1,146

ADOLESCENTS WHO DIED, THE

ALARMING RISE LARGELY DUE TO

ILLICIT FENTANYL.

THE DRUG ENFORCEMENT AGENCY SAYS

THE INFLUX OF RAINBOW FENTANYL,

MULTI-COLORED PILLS THAT LOOK

LIKE CANDY, HAS BEEN A

DELIBERATE ATTEMPT BY DRUG

TRAFFICKERS TO DRIVE ADDICTION

IN KIDS AND YOUNG ADULTS.

IN SEPTEMBER, A 15 YEAR OLD

GIRL, MELANIE RAMOS, WAS FOUND

DEAD OF AN OVERDOSE IN THE

BATHROOM OF A SOUTHERN

CALIFORNIA HIGH SCHOOL.

HER DEATH SET OFF ALARMS IN

SCHOOLS ACROSS THE STATE, AND

MANY, LIKE CK MCCLATCHY HIGH

SCHOOL IN SACRAMENTO, ARE NOW

PUTTING NARCAN ON CAMPUS.

STUDENTS WE TALKED HAD MIXED

REACTIONS TO MAKING NARCAN MORE

AVAILABLE.

ELI ATEN IS THE STUDENT BODY

PRESIDENT.

ELI: IF THERE ARE KIDS DOING

DRUGS LIKE THAT, YOU NEED SOME

WAY TO HELP THEM, YOU CAN'T JUST

LET THEM DIE ON THE SCENE.

BUT I GET THAT IT COULD JUST BE

HELPING THE PROBLEM BECAUSE

PEOPLE COULD GET THEIR HANDS ON

NARCAN TO HELP FACILITATE THEIR

DRUG USE.

STEPHANIE: THERE IS NO EVIDENCE

THAT MAKING NARCAN AVAILABLE IN

SCHOOLS WOULD INCREASE OPIOID

USE.

SENIOR MYCAH REA THINKS HAVING

NARCAN AROUND IS A GOOD IDEA,

ADDING THAT MANY STUDENTS MAY

NOT KNOW WHAT THEY'RE REALLY

GETTING WHEN THEY BUY PILLS.

MYCAH: I WOULDN'T SAY IT'S EASY

TO GET.

I THINK MORE SO IT'S EASY TO

MISTAKE.

BECAUSE IF THERE'S A STUDENT

THAT SAYS I WANT TO GO GET THIS

THIS WEEKEND, AND THEY DON'T

KNOW THAT IT'S LACED WITH

FENTANYL AND THEN THEY TAKE IT

WITH THEIR FRIENDS AND SOMEONE

COULD OD.

I THINK THAT'S HOW IT COULD BE

MORE POPULAR, MORE COMMON.

STEPHANIE: WE WERE AT CK

MCCLATCHY AS THE SCHOOL NURSE,

CAROLINE SCHRADER, PREPARED THE

CAMPUS FOR NARCAN.

SO THIS IS ONE OF THE SIGNS

HERE?

CAROLINE: EXACTLY, WE STARTED

PUTTING THESE UP TO NOTIFY

ANYBODY THE HALLWAYS THAT WE

HAVE THE NARCAN HERE READILY

AVAILABLE.

WE PICKED THE WELLNESS CENTER

AND STUDENT CENTER BECAUSE

THERE'S A LOT OF TRAFFIC.

A LOT OF KIDS COME THROUGH AND

THEY KNOW IT.

IT IS A GENERAL AREA TO COME TO.

STEPHANIE: SCHRADER, A FORMER

ICU NURSE, SAYS STREET FENTANYL

IS UNPREDICTABLE, AND HAVING

NARCAN IS AS IMPORTANT FOR

SAVING LIVES AS HAVING EPI-PENS

FOR KIDS WITH DEADLY ALLERGIES.

CAROLINE: A LOT OF YOUR

OVERDOSES DON'T HAPPEN WITH YOUR

ADDICTS.

THEY HAPPEN MORE WITH THE FIRST