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Throughout Alameda County, a dangerous new trend is emerging.
The consumption of fentanyl-laced vapes is increasing, deepening addiction among minors by introducing new, highly dangerous substances to an already vulnerable population. This trend underscores the urgent need to recognize and address the increasing dangers youth are facing today.
Vaping is being continuously normalized among minors, despite this community being the most vulnerable to the dangerous consequences of these chemicals. In my personal experience, the normalization and stigma around vaping come as a result of minors fearing judgment for speaking out about this topic.
With all the efforts made to fight the opioid epidemic, we’re powerless to the new, stronger chemicals minors are being exposed to. There isn’t enough exposure about the issue surrounding the inhalation of these chemicals in combination, and we can only expect the crisis to worsen with time.
“Kids, teens, and young adults are biologically more prone to addiction than adults are; tobacco companies know this and market to them accordingly,” according to researchers at Stanford Medicine.
It’s well established that social influences can motivate minors to pursue an artificial band-aid such as substance use to cope with difficult realities. These tendencies are further compounded when minors are exposed to multiple drugs in combination, and we often look past the instances of these two substances being ingested together.
Nicotine alone is highly addictive for adolescent brains, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). When dealers combine this ingredient with highly addictive fentanyl, the problem intensifies greatly.
Teenagers aren’t researching the ingredients in their vapes, especially when they’re gaining access to these drugs through “their friends [or] someone else buying them for them”.
Dealers add opioids, including fentanyl, to their products to increase their potency and promise future profits from victims of drug dependency. Addiction and overdose rates are rising, seen throughout the Bay Area, and it’s because of the new generation of illegal opioids being distributed within our own communities, without consumer knowledge of the fact.
“Inhaling fentanyl allows the drug to enter the bloodstream more quickly, causing a rapid onset of effects,” becoming evermore dangerous for younger consumers, reports Mayflower Recovery. Vapes laced with highly addictive chemicals like opioids worsens addiction. This situation needs better communication so adolescents can understand the situation.
Vapes marketed to minors are now being illegally infused with fentanyl. This situation is unfolding in plain sight – in school bathrooms and public space – proving that efforts to combat this crisis don’t stand a chance against the addictions minors are experiencing.
Our resources need to be strategically implemented to combat the new, emerging crisis in our communities. Education about the severity of the crisis is a must. Spreading awareness within communities is the most effective way to ensure adolescents are exposed to factual information about opioid addiction, not misinformation.
In the face of this obstacle, we can no longer ensure that any vape is free of fentanyl, meaning we need to solve this from its root – ending underage vape use entirely.
When the source is cut off, the problem will be solved.
This article was written as part of a program to educate youth and others about Alameda County’s opioid crisis, prevention and treatment options. The program is funded by the Alameda County Behavioral Health and the grant is administered by Three Valleys Community Foundation.
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