‘Drug talk’ is more important than ever before

It’s never an easy thing for parents to have “those talks” with their children, especially when they are in that teen range.
But there might never be a more important talk for parents to have now with kids, even those younger than teens, due to the advancing problem facing us with the drug Fentanyl.
As the southern border of the United States has been opened wide for any person in the world to come to this country—with virtually no idea who is coming or what drugs are crossing the border—the drug Fentanyl has become a huge concern.
That is because drug dealers are apparently making more of it due to the very low cost for production, and due to the high potency of the drug.
Law enforcement officials continue to raise a flag of concern for Americans since Fentanyl is coming into this country in record amounts, such as the 150,000 pills that were confiscated near California recently, followed by over $1 million worth of Fentanyl pills found by cops only days later.
The big concern showing up with Fentanyl is that it is being sold as pain pills such as Oxycodone, Percocet, Hydrocodone and others. But Fentanyl is so powerful that only a few grains of it in one pill can kill.
That is seen happening more-and-more, such as the California high school senior who purchased what he thought was a Percocet on SnapChat, took it and died.
Then right in St. Tammany Parish last week there were two reports of deaths from individuals taking what was thought to be Percocet pills, which now appear to have been laced with Fentanyl.
Dealers are even utilizing the drug in marijuana, with some form of dusting it in pot so it is even more potent. If there is too much Fentanyl in weed, it can be deadly.
St. Tammany Coroner Dr. Charles Preston has become so concerned about Fentanyl being hidden in other drugs that he issued a health emergency last week, hoping to warn parents, and young people who are seeking ways to get high.
But more than ever right now parents have got to lay these facts out for their kids. It doesn’t matter if you believe your child would never take a drug from a friend or purchase it online. That continues to happen even to families that never imagined their kids would do drugs. And the result is now turning deadly—something we don’t want to see happen for anyone else.
Parents—Sit your kids down immediately and have this talk with them. Sure, some will seem surprised that you are bringing it up, especially if they have been good kids. But you would rather be safe than sorry and make sure your kids realize that drugs today can be deadlier than ever, particularly those purchased out in the free market.