ATLANTA — A new study finds many teenagers do not recognize the risks associated with fentanyl use.
The study, published in JAMA Network Open, found 52% of eighth graders do not see a great risk in trying fentanyl once or twice. Among high school seniors, 30% said they also do not believe trying the synthetic opioid once or twice carries a high risk.
Researchers said the findings will help determine whether additional public awareness efforts are needed.
The study notes fentanyl is involved in three out of every four youth overdose deaths and is often mixed into other drugs without a user’s knowledge.
Provisional data from the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows as many as 600 adolescents between the ages of 14 and 19 die from fentanyl-involved drug overdoses each year.
Federal data also shows opioid overdose deaths have declined slightly in Georgia and nationwide in recent years. According to the CDC, about 1,600 people died from drug overdoses in Georgia in January of this year, down from nearly 2,700 in May 2023.
Nationwide, about 107,000 people died from drug overdoses in 2023, with about 70% of those deaths involving fentanyl.
WSB Radio’s Sabrina Cupit contributed to this story.