Fentanyl, an incredibly lethal narcotic, has killed 73,000 Americans in 2022, nearly doubling the amount of deaths than those three years prior in 2019. Striking back, the MRHS Fentanyl Awareness Club confronts the raging Fentanyl Epidemic across the United States, returning this year to spread awareness and combat the epidemic.
“In 2022, my nephew died of a fentanyl overdose …and [I] felt that this would be a good way for us to bring to the Marriotts Ridge community something that will help with the fentanyl issue,” said English teacher Renee Richards.
Richards recently founded the MRHS Fentanyl Awareness Club, which has made it their mission to inform students about the dangers of street drugs and the fentanyl that can often be found within. The club makes a difference in the community by keeping students informed and safe.
“I have seen the drug epidemic take hold of Howard County, and it’s just a really sad sight to see. I felt as though I needed to do something about it,” commented senior Luke Abadir.
Abadir, the president of the MRHS Fentanyl Awareness Club, decided that it was time to spread awareness of the dangers of fentanyl.
“[The Fentanyl Awareness Club] did PSA’s, we put up posters, we did a trivia event during lunch to help spread awareness and we had a public speaker, Dr. Marie Hedna. She is a doctor at Johns Hopkins University, and she has over thirty years of experience with the drug epidemic,” Abadir noted.
With highly knowledgeable and educated doctors joining in, the MRHS Fentanyl club felt like they were making an impact. Through their strong efforts, the club has successfully spread awareness throughout the community.
“We have gotten a lot of positive feedback …I think that we would say that we’ve seen success because we had over one hundred people attend our assembly,” Richards remarked.
All of this success for the Fentanyl Awareness Club has led to an increase in the realization of the danger of fentanyl among students at MRHS.
“Fentanyl equals death,” stated senior Quinn Cestone.
Cestone is no stranger to the dangers of fentanyl; he has seen the posters all around the school and is in fear.
“I will never do [fentanyl], and I will make sure my friends never do it as well,” Cestone stated.
Cestone is committed to spreading awareness of the risks associated with fentanyl and knows that staying away is the best way to remain safe.
“Currently, our club is made up entirely of seniors, so it’s in jeopardy of not being around next year, and I think this is a super important club for this school to have. So, we need some younger folks, freshman, sophomores, juniors, to come and join us and help us spread the message,” said Richards.
The MRHS Fentanyl Awareness Club is the first line of defense at Marriotts Ridge against the fentanyl epidemic raging across the United States. Their mission is of vital importance to the student community. By spreading awareness of the dangers of fentanyl, the club has successfully kept students safe and well-informed.