Late last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that more than 100,000 Americans had died from drug overdoses, an average of 275 every day. This amounts to a nearly 30 percent increase from the same period the previous year, a record for the country.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is used for treating severe pain. It is 50-100 more times potent than morphine and was responsible for nearly two-thirds of all drug overdose deaths in the 12-month period ending in April 2021. Just two milligrams are enough to kill a person.

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

Kids at risk

One survey found that one in six teens has used a prescription drug to get high, while another found that prescription drugs are the most commonly abused drugs in preteens ages 12 and 13 years old.

Even babies and toddlers are succumbing to the drug. CNN recently reported on a series of cases, including:

• an 11-month-old unsupervised baby in North Carolina who died from a fentanyl overdose
• a 15-month-old who died from an overdose in Southern California
• a one-year-old who died in Alabama

The parents and caregivers of these children are being charged in each of these cases.

What to do

Here are some things you can do to help keep your children away from this popular and dangerous drug.

• Keep all drugs locked up. Check here to learn more about the National Family Partnership’s Lock Your Meds campaign.
• Learn about the dangers of fentanyl and how to spot signs of abuse. Learn about how to use the antidote naloxone in case of an overdose.
• Talk to kids about the dangers of fentanyl, but avoid using scare tactics. Calmly offer information about the effects of fentanyl and other illicit drugs. Especially stress the fact that a prescription drug they get from friends or online might contain fentanyl no matter what the sellers claim.