A Guide to Fentanyl Awareness for Parents & Guardians

A Guide to Fentanyl Awareness for Parents & Guardians

We know that your child’s well-being is the most important thing to you as a parent or guardian. Protecting them against drug misuse can be difficult if you don’t have the proper information that you need. With Fentanyl abuse on the rise, it’s important to understand what it is and how to keep it away from your children.

What is Fentanyl?

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid, meaning a substance that is synthesized in a laboratory and acts the same as a natural opioid in the brain to produce pain relief effects. There are two types of fentanyl: pharmaceutical fentanyl and illicitly manufactured fentanyl. Pharmaceutical fentanyl is prescribed by doctors to treat severe pain while illegally manufactured fentanyl is sold for its ability to produce pain relief effects. Fentanyl has the potential for addiction because of its potency. Even a small amount can cause an overdose or death.

Fentanyl is one of the deadliest drugs you can encounter, and many counterfeit pills can be laced with fentanyl. There is no way to look, smell or taste a drug to determine if its fentanyl or laced with fentanyl. Instead, you must test unknown drugs with fentanyl test strips. The strips can typically give results within five minutes. Read more >