As another school year comes to a close 🎓 and the unofficial start of summer is behind us ☀️, many families are shifting into a new routine filled with vacations, camps, summer jobs, and a little more unstructured time. While summer brings opportunities for fun, connection, and adventure, it can also create challenges when it comes to keeping young people safe, engaged, and substance-free.

This week, I wanted to share a resource from The Florida Family Partnership that offers practical tips for creating a summer prevention plan. From setting expectations and encouraging healthy activities to keeping communication open, small steps can make a big difference. As communities and families prepare for the months ahead, let's remember that prevention doesn't take a summer vacation! 🌱

Planning ahead pays off! Book M3 Consulting LLC services by June 30 for September–December dates and save up to 20% off trainings, facilitation, technical assistance, and more. Whether you’re preparing for fall prevention work, coalition planning, conference season, or grant support, now is the time to get on the calendar and make the most of your budget.

Need support sooner? There’s still time to schedule services through August! Reach out to explore available dates for trainings, project support, community scans, strategic planning, or technical assistance before the busy fall season begins.

Three dead and 18 first responders sickened by apparent fentanyl exposure in New Mexico The Guardian

...Preliminary findings suggest multiple powdered opioids contributed to the deaths of three residents, including fentanyl and para-fluorofentanyl (also known as P4 fentanyl), and methamphetamine...

Key Facts About para-Fluorofentanyl (AI Summary):

• Potency: Like traditional fentanyl, this analog is significantly stronger than heroin and morphine.
• High Risk: Because it is incredibly potent, the margin between a psychoactive dose and a fatal dose is extremely small. Even microscopic amounts can be lethal.
• Illicit Supply: This substance is not a pharmaceutical drug; it is made in clandestine laboratories. It is frequently used by drug trafficking organizations to lace or substitute for other substances, such as heroin, cocaine, or counterfeit prescription pills.
• Detection: As an analog, standard point-of-care drug tests might fail to detect it. Specialized laboratory testing is often required to distinguish it from standard fentanyl.

In the past week, I've received two different alerts on medetomidine, a powerful sedative that is being added to the drug supply across the United States.

From the National Drug Early Warning System (NDEWS) Weekly Briefing (5/22): While most prevalent in the Northeast region of the US, this potent non-opioid sedative - also known as 'rhino tranq', 'mede', or 'dex' - has been increasingly detected as an adulterant in the unregulated drug supply in other areas of the country via community drug checking, wastewater samples, and in law enforcement seizures of drugs. Read more about EMS encounters, Reddit posts, and recent publications by clicking here!

From a WI DHS Overdose Alert (5/22): Wisconsin has begun to see medetomidine in the drug supply, and it has been identified as involved in a small number of overdose death cases in the state....Medetomidine is a veterinary sedative that is being found in the drug supply throughout the country. It is not an opioid but is being found in the street opioid supply. When consumed, medetomidine causes deep sedation, slow heart rate, low blood pressure, and slows breathing. Medetomidine is in the same class of drugs as xylazine but is 100–200 times more potent. It can cause longer-lasting sedation, and more severe withdrawal symptoms.

What you should know

• When medetomidine is seen in the drug supply, it is typically combined with opioids like fentanyl.
• Medetomidine and opioids affect the body differently, but both slow breathing and increase sedation and these effects are additive.
• Because fentanyl is involved in most overdoses involving medetomidine, naloxone should still be administered in any suspected overdoses. Although naloxone will not reverse the effects of medetomidine, it will reverse the effects of any opioid which can help breathing to resume.

More information is available on medetomidine from the Philadelphia Department of Public Health and CDC about the rising rate of medetomidine-involved overdoses.

Today’s scrolling brought me once again to Hannah Schibi, a digital creator and comedy-cooking personality known online as Hannah the Baker. She often kicks off videos with “Let’s get baked and make dinner” while using a variety of cannabis products—including gummies, candies, and beverages—and documenting the experience for her audience. 🌿

In a recent Reel, she was promoting 1777 Spirits and a THC-infused beverage. If you’ve ever wondered how THC beverages may affect judgment, coordination, or behavior, this video offers an interesting example of how impairment can be portrayed—and normalized—through social media content.📱



Another reminder that today’s prevention conversations need to include influencers, marketing, and the powerful role social media plays in shaping perceptions of substance use👀📸: Senorita Drinks

Related article: Cannabis ads air during Mets games - but some parents are smoking mad New York Post

Earlier this week, I confirmed that SAMHSA's Communities Talk $750 planning stipends are still available! These funds support virtual or in-person alcohol and other drug misuse prevention activities that educate, engage, and mobilize communities—especially youth and young adults.

Stipends can be used for speaker fees, facility rentals, equipment, promotional materials, and software subscriptions, making them an easy way to strengthen local prevention efforts and increase community impact. Best of all, the application is simple—but funds are available on a first-come, first-served basis, so don't wait to apply⏰ Email info@communities-talk.com to get connected to the application!

🎤 Looking for a speaker? Check out the latest presentation write-ups in my contractor folder! From drug trends and prevention to leadership, engagement, and sustainability, there's something for every audience.

🙏 I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to Jo McGuire and the National Drug & Alcohol Screening Association (NDASA) for the opportunity to contribute my second article on emerging drug trends to the Spring edition of The Voice newsletter. Read it here



It is an honor to share insights with professionals working across prevention, treatment, recovery, workplace safety, and public health. I appreciate the organization's commitment to education and awareness, and I'm grateful to be part of the conversation as we navigate an ever-changing substance use landscape together.

FDA Warns Retailers Selling Illegal Tobacco Products That Look Like Everyday Products

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today (5/20) that it issued warning letters to eight retailers for selling unauthorized tobacco products, including nicotine pouches and dissolvable tobacco products. The warning letters involve unauthorized tobacco products that have labeling, advertising, and/or design features that cause the products to imitate candy, breath strips, and cough drops. 📸FDA