A life lost to fentanyl
On December 27, 2020, 17 year old California teen Zach Didier died of fentanyl poisoning. He and his friends had purchased pills on Snap Chat, believing them to be the prescription medication Percocet. But they were counterfeit pills, and contained the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl.
The Rocklin, CA teenager’s father found him sitting at a computer in his bedroom, one arm cradling his head while the other rested on a mouse. (San Francisco Chronicle)
The toxicology reports showed that Zach was the recipient of a “fentapill,” a pill that appears identical to a prescription pill but is actually made of fentanyl. The toxicology report found no trace of Percocet, a combination medication containing an opioid pain reliever (oxycodone) and a non-opioid pain reliever (acetaminophen), used to help relieve moderate to severe pain.
The DEA Drug Enforcement Administration) Laboratory has found that, of the fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills analyzed in 2022, six out of ten now contain a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl. (https://www.dea.gov/onepill)
The rate of overdose deaths among U.S. teenagers nearly doubled in 2020, the first year of the COVID pandemic, and rose another 20% in the first half of 2021 compared with the 10 years before the pandemic, even as drug use remained generally stable during the same period. (uclahealth.org)
The parents and community of Zach have tried to channel their grief into a postive campaign to warn youth and parents of the dangers of fentanyl:
http://www.1pillcankillplacer.com/
“Drug dealers contact teens and young adults through social media and money transfer apps.
ALWAYS monitor your child’s social media and online activity.
NEVER give your child or teen access to non-supervised over 18 services such as credit cards, money transfers, online purchasing, package mailing and/or delivery services.
ALWAYS ask for help. If you or your child are experiencing pain, depression, anxiety or any other issue that may require medication, talk to a doctor or counselor.
NEVER trust prescription pills sold online or through apps. If it was not prescribed to you and did not come from a pharmacy, assume it is fake. Just one pill could cost your life.”
-Patrick Crouse