The term “opioid” covers a broad group of pain-relieving drugs, including natural (morphine) and synthetic (fentanyl) opiates. They come in capsules, tablets, powder, transdermal patches, and liquids.

Opioids can be used safely to treat severe pain if they are taken as prescribed by a doctor. However, if they are misused or for too long, they can lead to abuse, addiction, and even death.

Pain medications generate sensations of pleasure because they powerfully activate the limbic system’s reward regions, which are responsible for mood, attention, and emotional reactions. However, continuous opioid usage causes the body to build a tolerance to these drugs, requiring higher doses to provide the same effect and leading to addiction.

An opioid overdose can result in death by slowing respiration and heart rate.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 107,000 people died in the United States from opioid overdoses between January 2021 and January 2022, a 15% rise over the previous year. [i]

What is Fentanyl?

Fentanyl is an extremely powerful synthetic opioid used to treat severe pain. It is frequently prescribed to individuals with chronic pain who have become resistant to other opioids or to treat severe pain following surgery.

Fentanyl is a prescribed medicine, but it may also be synthesized and used illegally when it is typically mixed with other drugs such as heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine.

Fentanyl is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. Because of its potency, fentanyl is highly addictive, and it is the most common substance found in opioid overdose deaths in Arizona.

Fentanyl overdoses have surged dramatically in Arizona in recent years. Fentanyl is the most common substance found in all opioid overdose deaths in Arizona. The fact that minors under 17 (some as young as 14) have died due to a fentanyl overdose is alarming. [ii]

What Caused the Fentanyl Crisis in Arizona?

Stephanie Siete, a recognized specialist on developing drug trends, estimates that more than 20 million pills were distributed in Arizona in 2022.[iii]

In 2021, the Arizona DEA seized 12 million fentanyl tablets. [iv]

The Sinaloa Cartels in Mexico produce most of the pills, which are brought up through Arizona and distributed across the rest of the country. Arizona’s border counties accounted for more than 36 percent of statewide fentanyl seizures in 2022.

In 2021, there were 2,006 fatal opioid overdoses in Arizona, according to the Common ,Sense Institute Arizona. [v]

In Arizona, the number of overdose deaths rose by 41% in 2022. From April 2021 to April 2022, 2,723 people died of an overdose. [vi]

Addiction to Fentanyl in Adolescents

According to the DEA, overdose fatalities among Arizona youths aged 14 to 18 climbed by 94% between 2019 and 2020 and 20% between 2020 and 2021. [vii]

According to Siete, fentanyl pills are very deceptive as they come in all shapes and colors. Because they are often candy-like and appear innocent, teenagers might believe something such as a rainbow-colored pill cannot harm them.

Additionally, fentanyl can be mixed with any other drug. Many individuals died from overdoses because they were unaware that fentanyl had been added to meth, cocaine, and other drugs. According to research, 70 percent of the heroin in the U.S. is mixed with fentanyl; one dose could be fatal. [viii]

However, DEA research shows that six out of ten fentanyl pills contain a fatal dose. [ix]

COVID-19 and the Opioid Epidemic

The pandemic has increased drug abuse across the country. Children, as well as adults, struggle to find ways to cope with stress, anxiety, and depression. Unfortunately, many use substances to numb the distressing feelings and manage the pressure.

Teenagers who abuse opioids most frequently get them from friends or family members. They often use them against the instructions, either by taking more than the recommended dose, using someone else’s prescription, or mixing them with alcohol or other drugs.

Raising Awareness

Parents and teachers need to get educated on the dangers associated with opiate use.

A teen’s brain is still developing. The prefrontal cortex, the brain region that controls impulses, problem-solving, judgment, and decision-making, fully matures in the early twenties. So, in decision-making, children and teens rely on their amygdala, the brain region in charge of emotions and motivation.

The opioids activate the limbic system’s reward areas. Still, teenagers cannot fully perceive the danger associated with drug misuse as their decision-making and impulse control brain regions are still not fully developed.

They are unaware of the risk of taking opioids until we educate them.

Also, support necessary for sober living such as Community Impact Program Resources can help people recovering from SUD and addiction stay clean and manage challenges of everyday life.

 Reference articles

[i] https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/nchs_press_releases/2022/202205.htm

[ii] https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/states/arizona/az.htm

[iii] https://azpbs.org/horizon/2022/11/fentanyl-cases-skyrocketing-in-arizona/#:~:text=2%2C%202022&text=Fentanyl%20cases%20are%20skyrocketing%20in%20Arizona.,old%20have%20overdosed%20and%20died.

[iv] https://www.12news.com/article/news/local/arizona/over-half-of-the-nations-fentanyl-pills-are-seized-in-arizona/75-9574d508-6cb2-47e7-b4a4-171f2a74007b

[v] https://commonsenseinstituteaz.org/fentanyl-crime-and-arizonas-southern-border-august-2022/#:~:text=Seizures%20of%20fentanyl%20by%20DPS,2022%20have%20occurred%20in%20them.

[vi] https://www.abc15.com/news/state/data-fentanyl-overdose-deaths-in-arizona#:~:text=During%202022%20overdose%20deaths%20rose,April%202021%20to%20April%202022.

[vii] https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/wr/mm7150a2.htm

[viii] https://newhampshirebulletin.com/briefs/state-officials-warn-of-increase-in-non-opioid-drugs-laced-with-fentanyl/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CWhen%20we%20do%20see%20heroin,is%20mixed%20with%20other%20drugs.%20%E2%80%A6

[ix] https://www.dea.gov/alert/dea-laboratory-testing-reveals-6-out-10-fentanyl-laced-fake-prescription-pills-now-contain