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The opioid crisis isn’t just a past tragedy. It’s a current tragedy, and now, it’s targeting the youth. What started with a prescription painkiller has turned into a national emergency, and teens are being more affected than ever.
In the 1990s, a company called Purdue Pharma released OxyContin and claimed it was a “safe” way to treat pain. According to Purdue Pharma’s Illegal Activities: Breaking the Law, published in January 2025, Purdue Pharma representatives told doctors OxyContin was non-addictive, but that proved to be a lie. According to the article authors, Purdue knew the risks but they pushed the drug anyway.
The pill was taken by many and, as people became addicted, they craved more, and this time they needed stronger dosages. So many turned to heroin or fentanyl, which are synthetic opioids that are nearly 50 times stronger.
The Purdue Pharma’s scam was just the start of this epidemic, and now it’s killing people of all ages. The California Public Health Department reports that in 2022 alone there were around 11,000 deaths related to opioids. CBC news reported that many high-schoolers have reported students overdosing from fake pills bought on Snapchat or Instagram pills that look like Xanax or Percocet but are laced with deadly fentanyl.
One pill can kill.
And the scariest part? Most teens who die from fentanyl had no idea they were taking it.
This crisis continues to get worse because people don’t know the full story. Many people don’t understand this crisis started in the doctor’s office, not on the streets. They don’t hear that “Big Pharma” like Purdue Pharma made billions while addiction rates exploded. Nobody talks enough about the fake pills, the risks on social media, or how easy it is to lose someone.
Raising awareness is the only way to protect our generation, and the Alameda County Opioid Awareness Program is one avenue to do that.
Schools are starting to carry Narcan, a spray that can reverse an overdose, but a lot of students don’t even know what it is. Some don’t know that fentanyl test strips exist. Some don’t even realize that one pill at a party could be fatal.
We deserve better information. We deserve real education about what’s happening because it’s a growing problem and more and more people are falling into the trap of addiction. Or dying.
It started off as a problem of adults overdosing but now it’s people of all ages.
Many people don’t know the truth about opioids. Many people don’t understand that companies like Purdue Pharma continue to downplay the risks of additive substances so they can make a profit.
We have to start talking about it. Whether it’s sharing resources, spreading facts, or just watching out for your friends, awareness saves lives.
Young people didn’t cause this crisis — but we can be the reason it ends.
This article was written as part of a program to educate youth and others about Alameda County’s opioid crisis, prevention and treatment options. The program is funded by the Alameda County Behavioral Health Department and the grant is administered by Three Valleys Community Foundation.
