Fentanyl ODs by teens focus of Metro social media campaign

The Metropolitan Police Department is launching a social media campaign focused on teenagers about the dangers of counterfeit pills as the Las Vegas Valley heads into the end of school season.

In 2020 and 2021, 16 kids younger than 18 died of a fentanyl overdose in Clark County. Detectives said many of the victims had no idea what was in the pills they took. The county experienced a 196 percent increase in fentanyl-related overdoses between 2019 and 2020, according to the Metro news release.

Especially alarming is the growing number of middle school kids trying pills, not realizing the deadly consequences, narcotics detectives reported.

The social media campaign aims to warn teens as the summer kicks in, and parties ramp up.

Teens are encouraged to share the videos with their friends. Parents are encouraged to talk to their kids about the dangers of taking any pills that are not prescribed to them by their doctor.

Contact Tony Garcia at tgarcia@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0307. Follow @TonyGLVNews on Twitter.