Opioid presentations next Monday and Tuesday

On Feb. 27 and Feb. 28, the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office will hold presentations informing students on the dangers of fentanyl and other opioids. The 12th and 11th grade assemblies will be held at 8 a.m. and 9:45 a.m., respectively, on Feb. 27; the 10th and 9th grade assemblies will be held at 8 a.m. and 9:45 a.m., respectively, on Feb. 28.

The presentations will be 45 minutes long, detailing the effects of opioid use and how students should respond to overdoses. A speaker in recovery from opioid addiction and a parent who has lost a child to fentanyl poisoning will speak about their experiences with opioids. Students will also learn about the Good Samaritan Law, which states that people who seek the provision of medical assistance for someone overdosing and the victim are protected from prosecution. 

The Montgomery County Police Department reported 48 youth overdoses last year, 11 of which were fatal – an increase of 120% from 2021. The number of opioid-related deaths occurring in Maryland from January through September 2021 increased by 488% from 2008. 

Blair has increased efforts in overdose prevention and handling. On Feb. 9, the Montgomery County Health Department held a presentation to train teachers on Narcan use in response to opioid overdoses. 

Assistant Principal Joseph Fanning emphasized the need for a coordinated systemic effort against the drug abuse problem. “[The opioid crisis is] really a national thing. The first step is to recognize there's a problem and then to go forward to take steps to try to mitigate that problem," Fanning said.