AURORA, Colo — The opioid crisis has touched families in every community and now there’s growing concern about the threat it poses to young people. On Saturday, dozens of parents, grandparents, and children in Aurora gathered to learn more.
Aurora Public Schools teamed up with several community partners to host a community discussion about fentanyl.
“We just wanted to bring some awareness tools to families in the community, our family in our school community as well as our family overall in reference to fentanyl and other substances,” said Brandon Wright, student engagement coordinator at Aurora Public Schools.
In addition to learning about fentanyl, parents and grandparents also learned how to recognize signs children may be using and the best ways they can get them help.
They also heard from 17th Judicial District Attorney Brian Mason and Darcy Kofol, the chief of the organized crime unit at the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office. They each spoke about what their offices are doing to keep fentanyl off the streets.
Several resources were also made available to families who attended the event, including fentanyl testing strips and naloxone, a medication used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.
According to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, 854 Coloradans died from a fentanyl-related overdose last year, including at least two dozen children.
In 2020, 540 Coloradans died from a fentanyl-related overdose.
It represents a big increase from prior years and it’s one reason parents like Lucero Giron are worried.
“It scares me,” Giron said. “I want to just learn what to teach my kids about it, what to talk to them about, to hopefully prevent them from ever trying anything.”
It’s not just a Colorado issue. It’s a nationwide issue that even experts struggle to stay in front of.
Andres Cardenas, a school resource officer with Aurora Police Department, says while marijuana remains the drug of choice for most teens in Aurora, fentanyl is becoming more popular.
“Our teens are experiencing more and more and the prevalence of it coming into our schools it’s getting higher,” Cardenas said.
He says the fentanyl-laced pills teens use are called “Blues.”
“In this era of technology, with phones and their social media, the way they hide stuff, it's kind of hard to keep on it,” Cardenas said.
They say awareness is key in helping prevent children from becoming addicted in the first place.
Something families attending Saturday’s discussion all seemed to agree with.
“Just we as a community have to rally together and make sure that we're looking out for our kids,” Wright said. “It's a village so we really have to have that village mentality.”
To find pharmacies, retail stores and other locations that carry naloxone, visit https://www.stoptheclockcolorado.org/