Two teenagers in Fayette County, TN, have become the latest victims of a drug catastrophe that has been sweeping the nation. Fentanyl, an incredibly powerful synthetic opioid, took the lives of 16- and 17-year-old girls in a school parking lot in a suspected overdose.
The third, a 17-year-old student who also overdosed, has since been released from the hospital and charged with two counts of second-degree murder and possession of a controlled substance.
The students are all underage and have not been named. Authorities have not determined if the suspect will be charged as an adult.
This tragedy highlights the potentially lethal consequences of fentanyl use, which can lead to death with as little as a dose the size of a pencil tip. After gaining use in the adult population in recent years, it is now easy for younger generations to encounter the drug regularly. Fayette County Public Schools are in full cooperation with local authorities, and the story has been spread, in an attempt to educate others, on the sheriff’s office Facebook page.
Fentanyl’s presence in communities around the United States has caused numerous similar cases. Over the past six months, eleven students in Texas have overdosed due to fentanyl; three of whom died in the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District. Charges of Conspiracy to distribute were brought against the three people who lived nearby, all of whom are said to have had the drug in their possession.
The deaths of these teenagers in Tennessee serve as a reminder that it’s essential to educate young people on the dangers of drugs like fentanyl.