The fentanyl statistics are alarming — especially for teens.
In 2022, an average of 22 adolescents aged 14 to 18 died weekly in the United States due to drug overdoses. Fentanyl in counterfeit pills is identified as a significant contributor to this alarming trend.
The rate of adolescent overdoses more than doubled from 2019 to 2020 and has reached a point where the weekly death toll is the equivalent of an average high school classroom.
Drug overdoses are now the third leading cause of pediatric deaths, following firearm-related injuries and motor vehicle collisions.
Carbondale Police Chief Kirk Wilson, in a recent conversation with The Sopris Sun, shared his concerns about the presence of fentanyl in our community. He also understands that addressing the issue will take a concerted effort from everyone.

What is fentanyl?
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is among the most abused pain relievers in the U.S. and the leading cause of overdose deaths.
In 1959, Dr. Paul Janssen developed the synthetic opioid under a patent held by his company, Janssen Pharmaceutica. Its intended medical use is surgical anesthesia and managing severe pain.
Fentanyl was approved for medical use in the U.S. in 1968 and was primarily used to help cancer patients cope with intense pain following invasive surgeries.

Fentanyl is here
In May of last year, the Carbondale police arrested a male in the downtown area with outstanding arrest warrants. The arrest led to the discovery of alleged cocaine laced with fentanyl.
In late December, a routine traffic stop in West Glenwood Springs by the Garfield County Sheriff’s office led to an unexpected drug seizure of more than an ounce of methamphetamine, a small amount of alprazolam (known by the brand name Xanax) and close to a half-ounce of fentanyl.
“I think a lot of people want to believe that we live in Utopia, but the reality is that this area, this Valley, is affected by the fentanyl issue as easily as any other community across the country and that shouldn’t take us by surprise,” Wilson told The Sopris Sun.
Counterfeit vs. legitimate pills
Many counterfeit pills are made to look exactly like prescription opioids such as oxycodone (brands names: Oxycontin, Percocet), hydrocodone (Vicodin) and alprazolam (Xanax) — or stimulants like amphetamines (Adderall).
According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) “One Pill Can Kill” public awareness campaign (which seeks to inform the public about the dangers of counterfeit prescription drugs), 70% of pills confiscated by the DEA contain a lethal dose of fentanyl.
In 2023, the DEA seized more than 78.4 million fentanyl-laced fake pills and nearly 12,000 pounds of fentanyl powder. The 2023 seizures are equivalent to more than 388.8 million lethal doses of fentanyl. A lethal dose is defined by the DEA as two milligrams of fentanyl.

Social media
A Pew Research Center (PRC) survey from late 2023, revealed that 46% of teens, aged 13 to 17, said they were online “almost constantly.” The number has nearly doubled since 2014, when just 24% of teens said they were online “almost constantly.”
As teens are using social media, at rates higher than ever, Snapchat, the instant messaging app, has, according to PRC data, moved ahead of Instagram in popularity.
Snapchat allows for ephemeral messaging, meaning that the communications disappear after they are viewed, or after a designated period of time set by the user.
Snap Inc., the technology and social media company that owns and operates
Snapchat, has come under increasing scrutiny from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Justice Department as they have honed in on fentanyl poisoning cases where the sales were arranged via Snapchat.
Drug traffickers and dealers often use emojis to convey the availability, quantity and quality of drugs for sale. The DEA’s “One Pill Can Kill” online resources include a reference guide titled “Emoji Drug Code Decoded”
(www.bit.ly/DEAemojis), to reference the icons that are used on social media apps to buy and sell illicit drugs.
“We are aware that Snapchat and other apps tend to be the new avenue for [drug] sales,” continued Wilson. “No longer do you just find somebody selling drugs on the street corner.”

Where to go from here?
Wilson suggested a three-pronged approach as the best strategy for addressing the dangers of fentanyl within the community: 1) interaction, 2) education and 3) enforcement.
“First, it requires interactions with people who are trusted. Whether it’s for our kids or others in our community, people are looking for answers from trusted people,” Wilson said.
“Secondly, I think people are hungry for education. Again, that can only come from trusted people who are informed about the dangers and the effects of fentanyl,” he said.
Substance abuse prevention agencies within the Roaring Fork Valley have stepped up efforts to educate the public. The third prong — enforcement — is a must to effectively approach the fentanyl issue, Wilson explained.
“We have to look for those that are dealing this stuff to our kids and who are knowingly selling fentanyl,” Wilson said.

To learn more about fentanyl, visit www.dea.gov/onepill