Drug overdoses continue to victimize many Americans amid the ongoing opioid epidemic. KIMT News 3's Alec Oas lays out what officials see as a way forward out of this epidemic.
ROCHESTER, Minn. - Drug overdoses are continuing to be on the rise amid the ongoing opioid epidemic, and some of these overdoses are starting to appear in younger crowds.
Fentanyl is still public enemy number one when it comes to illicit drugs on the street - a synthetic opioid that is one hundred times stronger than morphine.
The drug is highly lethal, even in small doses, and it is starting to show up more and more in cases of minors that have overdosed.
Treatment centers can attest to the increased problem among Minnesota youth as even just this year centers like MN Adult and Teen Challenge in Rochester are seeing an influx in youth check-ins.
Factors like short-staffing and capacity limits have made it difficult to address the needs of every minor that walks into the doors, but great efforts are being made to keep these kids safe.
Another concern for not only parents but all community members is the increased presence of fentanyl mixtures, where other drugs will be put into substances containing fentanyl.
Gone are the days of the commonly-found blue "M-30" pills that are meant to look like Oxycodone - as they are now being pressed into assorted colors, as well as fentanyl showing up in methamphetamine, cocaine, MDMA, heroin, and other drugs where fentanyl was not found by law enforcement as much in previous years.
Most recently, the introduction of a mixture between a horse tranquilizer called Xylazine and fentanyl has proven particularly deadly.
"It's supposed to make the high last longer, but one of the effects of it is, number one, it blocks the effects of Narcan from working," said David Hunter II, center director of the MN Adult and Teen Challenge Rochester.
Narcan, or naloxone, is a life-saving medicine known to reverse opioid-related overdoses.
"Younger people aren't just getting high anymore, but they're literally fighting for their lives, and going out and using is essentially playing Russian roulette a lot of times," Hunter II said.
Anyone can purchase Narcan without a prescription at pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens.
To learn more about the current opioid epidemic and find helpful resources, visit the US Department of Health and Human Services website.
