279%
Increase in opioid overdose deaths from 2019 to 2020 in the 15-19 age group in California
Overdose-related death exceeded 100,000 in 2021, 30 times the death toll of the 9/11 terrorist attacks
100,000
50-100X
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine. One pill can kill.
Statistics from the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics, the California Overdose Surveillance Dashboard, and JAMA Pediatrics
Data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention shows overdose deaths in adolescents aged 14 to 18 years went up by 94% from 2019 to 2020, of which deaths from illicit fentanyl and synthetics has gone up by 168%.
In California, opioid-related deaths in the 15 to 19 age group have almost tripled during the same period. The Department of Justice reported in 2021 that illicit drug supply laced with fentanyl and has been the leading cause of accidental overdose deaths.
Our target audience is middle schoolers in youth programs. Through our interactive science and facts-based drug education curriculum, we provide kids with the lifelong knowledge to develop their own perspectives on drug use.