Safe Parties Lead To More Parties: Why College Students Should Carry Naloxone

Safe Parties Lead To More Parties: Why College Students Should Carry Naloxone

As Spring Break approaches for college students across the country, I can’t help but think about the choices young students will make that could potentially alter—or even end—their lives forever. During this week of partying and letting loose, I want my fellow students to be aware of the dangers of drug use, especially those that extend beyond the drugs themselves, such as the risk of fentanyl-laced substances.

Fentanyl is similar to morphine but 100 times more potent. It is often used safely in medical settings, but increasingly it is being illicitly mixed with other drugs to boost their strength and sold as powders, nasal sprays, or pressed into counterfeit pills designed to resemble legitimate prescription pills. With no official oversight or quality control, these fake pills often contain fatal doses of fentanyl instead of the expected drug.

The fentanyl crisis has altered the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in the United States. In 2023, more than 107,000 people lost their lives to a drug overdose, with nearly 70% of those deaths attributed to opioids such as fentanyl (DEA). Of the 1,865 drug overdose deaths in Colorado in 2023, nearly 59% involved fentanyl, up from 51% the year before (CDPHE).

Looking back on my time at CU Boulder, from my freshman year to now, my senior year, the increasing number of overdoses on campus can’t be ignored. For college students, the use of a potent opioid like fentanyl is often unintentional. Students may experiment with drugs like cocaine or MDMA, unknowingly ingesting fentanyl and overdosing as a result. In other cases, a student who regularly buys from the same dealer may unknowingly develop a tolerance to fentanyl, then share it with friends who lack that tolerance, leading to an overdose. The increasing presence of fentanyl in these so-called “party drugs” poses a serious, often deadly risk to college students, making awareness and caution more crucial than ever.

In response, harm reduction organizations are helping to educate individuals who may use or experiment with recreational drugs. As an executive member of End Overdose on my campus, I’ve seen firsthand the impact of these efforts. These organizations provide resources like drug testing kits and naloxone opioid reversal medication. Life-saving groups like Keep The Party Safe, Colorado’s fentanyl overdose prevention campaign, and End Overdose work to prevent overdose deaths by distributing these essential tools and offering education to at-risk populations.

As Spring Break approaches for college students across the country and I reflect on the deaths that have taken place across my campus, my county, my state, and my country, I am left with one conclusion – fentanyl does not discriminate. Fentanyl does not make exceptions. The only exception that can be made is through active participation in overdose prevention. Stock up on naloxone and stay safe this Spring Break.

Author 

Aly Laurain 

CU-Boulder Student