Last updated : July 14, 2025
According to the 2023 Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, Key Findings on Adolescent Drug Use, fewer high schoolers are using illicit drugs. The annual study is conducted by researchers from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Its recent findings could be cause for rejoicing if not for the fact that throughout 2022, twenty-two teenagers—the equivalent of a class full—a week died by drug overdose.
Even more heartbreaking? It’s safe to say that the majority of them hadn’t the slightest idea that they were even at risk.
There’s always an exception, of course, but teenagers are close to adults in height and stature, even if their brains have several years of maturing yet to do. They know enough to discern that they can handle an adult dosage when it comes to prescription drugs so that would apply to ill-gotten drugs as well.
Teens “know what they’re doing”
Let’s face it, most teens are certain they know it all—and if not everything, a lot. Taking one prescription-strength opioid or another mind-altering substance isn’t going to harm them. Most would tell you that they only take them to take the edge off or relax and have a good time with friends. Some purchase drugs, such as amphetamines, to help them pull an all-night study session before a big exam—or to get that project ready to turn in that they’ve had three weeks to work on.
Whatever the reason behind their justifying using drugs, it’s no problem to purchase them on an as-needed basis. Teenage dealers, friends, and even ordering online are all open possibilities. And, they’re perfectly capable of deciding when and where to purchase and use their drug of choice.
The possibility of forming an addiction or overdosing isn’t anywhere on their radar.
But cartels don’t play fair
Teenagers don’t often keep up with the news outside of what’s going on within their group of peers. And busy parents may not either nor do many suspect that their child is using drugs.
Somewhere along the way, the wires got crossed and our kids aren’t getting the message that drug cartels are flooding the country with counterfeit pills and they’re adding fentanyl to everything crossing the border. It’s a cheap filler, makes their drugs more potent, and, frankly, they don’t care if it’s killing the clients.
So, even though teens are buying pills that look like they are from a pharmaceutical company, likely, they aren’t. Counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl make black-market drugs far more lethal than those sold by pharmacies here in the United States.
Moreover, fentanyl pills have been discovered in an array of colors with “fun” emoji-like designs imprinted on them meant intentionally to market to adolescents and young adults.
Fentanyl is killing our kids
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid, meaning that it was created in a lab. It’s used in the medical community as a potent painkiller. It’s prescribed to relieve pain following surgery or for patients suffering from late-stage cancer. Fentanyl is highly addictive and said to be up to 100 times as potent as morphine. Fifty times as potent as heroin.
Sadly, addicts have discovered its extreme potency and some have made it their drug of choice. It’s manufactured in clandestine laboratories overseas and smuggled into the United States. Street names include Apache, China Girl, Dance Fever, or Goodfellas.
Others, as mentioned above, unknowingly ingest fentanyl that has been mixed in with other drugs. People are at high risk of becoming addicted to fentanyl. Moreover, they are at high risk of suffering an overdose because just 2 milligrams (mg) of this powerful drug is considered a lethal dose.
What it does to the body
Fentanyl travels through the bloodstream and attaches to opioid receptors in the brain. Once attached it decreases feelings of pain and creates intense feelings of pleasure, otherwise known as euphoria. It can be taken in pill form, crushed or purchased in powder form for injecting, or snorted. Addicts may resort to freezing patches and then placing pieces of the patch under their tongue.
Other side effects include:
- Drowsiness
- Nausea
- Confusion
- Constipation
- Addiction
Addicts can suffer unpleasant withdrawal symptoms that can include:
- Muscle pain
- Bone pain
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Cold flashes
- Uncontrollable leg movements
Signs of a fentanyl overdose are:
- Unconsciousness
- Weak pulse
- Slowed or irregular breathing
- Blue or gray edges around the mouth
Fast-acting fix
Naloxone, also known as Narcan and Kloxxado, is a medication that reverses an opioid overdose if administered in time. It revives the overdose victim by temporarily blocking the effects of opioids, such as heroin, oxycodone, or fentanyl. The effects only last between 30 to 90 minutes so seeking medical assistance immediately is imperative.
Education keeps them in the classroom
We’re circling back to where we began which is the results of Michigan University’s 2023 Monitoring the Future survey given to 8th, 10th, and 12th graders. The data proves that fewer teens are choosing to use drugs as numbers continue to remain below pre-pandemic levels.
That’s huge, according to Nora Volkow, M.D., National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) director, who said, “Research has shown that delaying the start of substance use among young people, even by one year, can decrease substance use for the rest of their lives. We may be seeing this play out in real-time. This trend is reassuring. Though, it remains crucial to continue to educate young people about the risks and harms of substance use in an open and honest way, emphasizing that illicit pills and other substances may contain deadly fentanyl.”
Teenagers may not know as much as they think they do about living life, but they’ll get there. Moreover, they’re listening to and learning about the dangers of drug abuse and addiction. Won’t it be something when the normal “right of passage” from teen to adulthood is to live life sober?
What an adventure that life will be!
