Too many people think that illegal drug use and drug overdose deaths can only happen to other people’s kids. Or to “losers” who come from a “bad” background.

The incident last month in Broward County, Florida, in which five West Point cadets overdosed on cocaine laced with the opioid fentanyl, should help dispel that myth.

The five were on Spring Break in Fort Lauderdale and were staying at a vacation rental house.

Four of the men were found in cardiac arrest in the rental home’s front yard, NBC News reported. One revived without treatment. Two were revived using the emergency overdose treatment Narcan, and were hospitalized. Two others failed to respond to Narcan and were hospitalized in critical condition. The alleged dealer was later arrested and all five of the victims survived.

“These are healthy, young adults, college students in the prime of their life, and getting this drug into their system, it’s unknown what the recovery will be,” Fort Lauderdale Fire Department Battalion Chief Steve Gollan told WTVJ.

Deadly substance

Many people are not lucky enough to survive an encounter with fentanyl. The government announced in December that there were more than 64,000 deaths linked to fentanyl by the end of April 2021. That’s more than all the overdose deaths from all drugs in 2016. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced last month that fentanyl overdose is now the leading cause of death for U.S. adults ages 18-45.

In January, a single batch of cocaine-laced fentanyl killed nine people in Northwest Washington, D.C. Two people have been charged with supplying the drug. The D.C. medical examiner has implicated fentanyl in more than 90 percent of the overdose deaths in 2020 and through March 2021.

Most of the overdoses nationwide, however, come from illegal drugs made to look like prescription pills sold online and through social media, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

How to help

The CDC says everyone can take action to help end the overdose epidemic in the U.S.

Start by talking to your kids about the dangers of fentanyl, regardless of whether you think they’re susceptible to illicit drugs. Warn them about the dangers of buying drugs from friends or online.

Get information on fentanyl from the CDC here.

The DEA also offers information on how to keep kids safe.