Good morning -

As May draws to a close and with Memorial Day weekend coming up in a few days, families and youth look forward to their prom nights, high school graduations, and other summer fun before they go off to college, the military, or start their new jobs. We want them to stay alive to have these experiences.

It is our job as parents, uncles, aunts, brothers, sisters, neighbors, and friends, to talk to every person in our lives, especially young people, about the dangers of counterfeit pills.

Dr. Ruth Potee, the Opioid Task Force's Medical Director, continues to educate us about our dangerous drug supply. The DEA reports that one out of every six pills now tests positive for a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl in 2022 compared to one out of every four when tested in 2021.

The DEA also reports that ..."Online sales via internet marketplaces and social media are the major sources for obtaining counterfeit pills. A significant number of high school and college students purchase Adderall and Xanax from dark web drug markets and/or through social media referrals, which market deadly versions of these drugs tainted with fentanyl and/or methamphetamine."

As counterfeit pills become more prevalent, we have to reimagine how we talk to the young people in our lives about the dangers they face when they innocently think they are taking something to enhance their academic performance or just to have fun with their friends.

Here are some resources that may be of help:

• Drop the F*Bomb - Talk to Your Kids About Fentanyl
• DEA's One Pill Can Kill
• Partnership for Drug-Free Kids - Parent Talk Kit
• Get Smart About Drugs - Preventing Opioid Misuse Among High School Student Athletes: A Playbook for Parents, Caregivers, and Educators
• Kids Can Buy Drugs Easier Than You Think

With Dr. Ruth Potee's continued guidance, and in collaboration with Mark Klee, Pain & Addiction Clinical Pharmacy Specialist at Baystate Health, the Opioid Task Force will provide staff support as they update their letter advising against the dangers of counterfeit pills. This letter will be sent to every school district in Franklin, Hampshire, and the North Quabbin Region by early June.

Please make sure you are doing your part by having these hard but potentially life-saving conversations with the people you love.

Sincerely,