The Spark

the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist

“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx

Teen Fentanyl Overdoses

Mar 6, 2023

Teenagers are overdosing more and more on counterfeit prescription pills laced with the dangerously powerful opioid fentanyl. More than 30 students have overdosed at High Point High School in Beltsville, Maryland, this school year. Five Montgomery County high school students overdosed and died in January.

At meetings in Prince George’s County and Montgomery County, hundreds of students and parents came with questions of what to do. Officials handed out Narcan, which can reverse an overdose if given very quickly. This doesn’t address the big problem. Teenagers are extraordinarily stressed and anxious these days. The pandemic made the problem worse. Staff for after-school activities and for counseling have been cut. Teenagers are left behind.

This is a wealthy society. But that wealth is in the hands of a few. And those few wealthy people don’t care if the children of workers overdose on fentanyl.