Toolkits

COLLEGE TOOLKIT

Hoy en día, las píldoras falsas fabricadas con fentanilo ilícito son abundantes en Estados Unidos, y los jóvenes mueren a un ritmo sin precedentes. Ninguna universidad es inmune al peligro del fentanilo ilícito, que ahora se encuentra en todas las drogas callejeras, incluyendo la cocaína, la MDMA y las píldoras falsas de prescripción que se venden como Percocet (percs), oxicodona (oxys), Xanax, Adderall y más. Todos los estudiantes universitarios deben conocer el peligro del fentanilo y estar alerta. Su vida podría depender de ello.

Cada centro universitario tiene una cultura diferente, y las campañas de concienciación deben adaptarse al entorno único de cada centro. Este kit de herramientas pretende ser un recurso para cualquier estudiante/escuela que quiera concienciar sobre el creciente peligro de las drogas callejeras que circulan hoy en día.

Datos Básicos Sobre el Fentanilo

El fentanilo ilícito es un opioide sintético 50 veces más potente que la heroína. El fentanilo farmacéutico suele ser recetado por los médicos para prevenir el dolor intenso durante una intervención quirúrgica o a causa de un cáncer en fase avanzada. Los cárteles fabrican fentanilo ilícito en garajes, almacenes y otros lugares clandestinos y lo distribuyen a través de los mercados de drogas ilegales por su efecto similar al de la heroína. Los cárteles han introducido el fentanilo ilícito en el suministro de drogas callejeras como una forma de ganar dinero a raíz de la demanda estadounidense de drogas ilícitas; no les preocupa el comprador de las drogas. El fentanilo cambia de forma y se está encontrando en casi todas las drogas callejeras que se venden hoy en día, como la cocaína, la MDMA, la metanfetamina, la heroína y las pastillas de aspecto idéntico al Percocet (percs), la oxicodona (oxys), el Xanax, el Adderall y otras.

El engaño utilizado por los traficantes de drogas de hoy en día, la potencia cada vez mayor e impredecible de las drogas sintéticas que se ofrecen, y la facilidad de conseguir drogas ilícitas a través de las redes sociales hacen que la escena actual de las drogas callejeras sea más peligrosa que nunca, y a menudo mortal. Los traficantes están vendiendo pastillas hechas de fentanilo ilícito como Xanax, Adderall, percs, oxys y más. Los traficantes no sólo suministran drogas a los consumidores existentes, sino que intentan atraer a nuevos consumidores a las drogas ilícitas engañando a los compradores para que piensen que están adquiriendo fármacos legítimos, ofreciéndoles pastillas de aspecto "divertido", anunciándolas con emojis, etc. Muchas víctimas jóvenes no eran conscientes del peligro de que las pastillas de la calle estuvieran hechas de fentanilo ilícito o de que otras drogas estuvieran mezcladas o contaminadas con fentanilo. Para protegerse, todos los jóvenes estadounidenses deben ser conscientes de que cualquier pastilla obtenida en un lugar que no sea una farmacia es probablemente falsa, y se ha descubierto que el 40% de las pastillas que se venden hoy en día en la calle contienen niveles potencialmente mortales de fentanilo. Y como los traficantes ya no venden sólo una droga, todas las drogas de la calle tienen un alto riesgo de contaminación por fentanilo, y podrían ser potencialmente mortales.

More about fentanyl:

Signs of an Opioid Overdose

An opioid overdose is life-threatening and requires immediate emergency attention. Because breathing can be dangerously slowed or stopped during an overdose, an untreated overdose can lead to severe brain damage or death. An overdose is usually not a dramatic event and recognizing the signs of opioid overdose is essential to saving lives. Call 911 immediately if a person exhibits ANY of the following symptoms:

  • Small, constricted “pinpoint pupils”

  • Falling asleep or loss of consciousness

  • Slow, shallow breathing

  • Choking or gurgling sounds

  • Limp body

  • Pale, blue, or cold skin

(symptoms according to the CDC)

Resources:

Good Samaritan LawsAt times bystanders choose not to call 911 for help because they fear they will be arrested for drug possession or similar charges. In reality, most states have good samaritan drug overdose immunity laws that protect any person who calls for help when someone is overdosing. Understand the laws in your state, and if ever in doubt, CALL FOR HELP. In the event of an overdose, timely response is critical.

Naloxone (a.k.a. Narcan ®)

Naloxone is an opioid antagonist medication that is used to rapidly reverse an opioid overdose. Naloxone can quickly restore breathing to a person who is experiencing an overdose, but has no effect on a person who does not have opioids in their system. In most states naloxone is available from pharmacies without a prescription. You can also get naloxone from community-based naloxone programs or harm-reduction organizations.

Naloxone Drug Facts:

How to administer Naloxone:

Naloxone is available over the counter at your local pharmacy: Naloxone laws and availability currently vary by state. We recommend checking for naloxone at your local pharmacy, or checking with your local health department. In March 2023 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Narcan, 4 milligram (mg) naloxone hydrochloride nasal spray for over-the-counter (OTC), nonprescription, use. This means Narcan will become more widely available in stores without a prescription in the coming months. In the meantime, the following organizations may also be helpful in trying to find naloxone near you:

Naloxone State Laws:

Fentanyl Test Strips (FTS)

Fentanyl test strips are often offered as a tool to reduce the harms of illicit drug use. Before using fentanyl test strips, users need to understand their limitations:

  • While FTS detect the most common analogs of fentanyl at a given time, FTS do not test for all fentanyl analogs or for other drugs such as nitazenes and xylazines. The illicit drug supply is constantly changing and there is no guarantee the FTS will detect future fentanyl analogs or other drugs coming down the line.

  • Testing pills: Due to the chocolate chip effect, you cannot test a portion of a pill and be sure that the rest of the tablet or batch is free of fentanyl. You must dissolve everything that is to be consumed prior to testing. If you test one pill in a batch and it tests negative for fentanyl, that does not mean other pills in that batch are safe. Organizations do not agree on the testing methods for pills. More research is needed to determine the most accurate testing method for pills.

  • Testing Powders: Most harm reduction organizations say you can reduce harm by testing a portion of the powder you wish to consume. Precisely follow the instructions on test strip for best results.

  • Don’t believe anyone who says their pill or powder has been tested & is safe. Since a pill must be destroyed in order to be tested, if they tell you their pill has been tested they are lying to you. If you choose to use a powder, test the drug yourself.

  • Not precisely following the FTS instruction can impact results.

  • Tests have shown that some brands of fentanyl test strips are more reliable than others.

  • FTS laws/access vary by state

While FTS are believed to reduce the number of overdoses, FTS do not guarantee the safety of a drug. If a person chooses to consume a drug that has been tested, harm reduction organizations suggest they should “not use alone & go slow” and have naloxone on hand.Organizations distributing FTS:

How to Use FTS:

State Laws Relating to FTS: LAPPA FTS Fact Sheet

FTS Research:

Free Song for Charlie Resources

Note: These resources are free as long as Song for Charlie is being identified as the source and they are not included in programs being sold. Click here for detailed terms of use.

Misc. Other College Level Resources

Misc. College Awareness Ideas

  • Implement a Team Awareness Combatting Overdose (TACO) chapter at your school.

  • Have pop-up naloxone distribution centers.

  • Provide overdose reversal kits to students.

  • Create overdose reversal kits with naloxone and place them in central places around campus (similar to defibrillators & fire extinguishers).

  • Put fentanyl/fake pill posters around campus- in dorms, on back of bathroom stall doors, in student center, at sports complexes, etc.

  • If health center distributes prescriptions, include fake pill warning with every prescription dispensed.

  • Make fake pill awareness (via flyer, video, etc) required for anyone receiving mental health help through student health center.

  • Install naloxone vending machines (as done at the Ann Arbor District Library by www.homeofnewvision.org)

  • Consider making naloxone and fentanyl test strips available at student centers, requiring students to watch an informational video to receive items.

  • Consider fentanyl test strip pop-ups with training & discussion.

  • Have greek system create an awareness campaign.

  • Include fentanyl awareness training as a part of freshman orientation.

  • Make fentanyl awareness, naloxone & FTS training a part of all residential assistant (RA) training.

  • Have RA’s show “You Need to Know” video to all students on their floor, and lead discussion.

Social Media Campaigns

We encourage everyone to post warnings across their social media accounts.Social media content is available for free at: https://www.songforcharlie.org/social-media-contentContent can also be freely pulled from Song for Charlie’s social media accounts and used on your own social media sites:

The Problem

May be behind paywall:

Note About Harm Reduction

Data show that many youth are unaware of or misunderstand the fentanyl problem. Accurate perception of harm has been shown to be a protective factor. Therefore, Song for Charlie believes greater education and awareness of the fentanyl problem for youth in particular will reduce harm.Song for Charlie recognizes that one-size-fits-all approaches often aren’t optimal. Some of the content in this particular toolkit may not fit with policies and practices of organizations serving younger audiences.The goal of harm reduction is to protect the health and lives of people, even if they choose to use substances. Song for Charlie focuses on protecting the health and lives of young people from the risks associated with illicit drug use especially in today’s synthetic and deceptive landscape, where harm reduction has been shown to play a valuable role.It is not unusual for colleges and universities to offer both harm reduction messages (i.e. limiting binge drinking) and harm reduction interventions (i.e. naloxone and fentanyl test strip distribution). Given little available evidence around the effectiveness and interplay between primary prevention education and specific harm reduction interventions for younger ages where illicit substance use is less common than in the general population, we do not promote many harm reduction interventions for K-12 ages. However, we recognize that illicit drug use is more common in college age youth, as are individual agency and decision making capabilities. Therefore, we include more harm reduction messages and interventions for this age group.