TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Fentanyl laced into other pills has powered a surge of overdoses and deaths. Now University of Arizona fraternities have antidotes on stand by to head off drug deaths.
Fentanyl can put danger in the palm of your hand.
“I had a high school friend from ASU and one of his roommates actually overdosed on fentanyl.”
That moment inspired Aiden Pettit-Miller’s drive that put these bright red boxes in all 15 fraternities at University of Arizona. Each one holds two opportunities to save a young life. They hold two doses of Naloxone, brand named Narcan, able to reverse an opioid overdose.
He says it took about a year and a half to arrange these. He says the Pima County Health Department supplied the Narcan, and the inter fraternity council paid for the boxes.
Pettit-Miller says easy access to an antidote is not just for someone taking drugs at a party. It could save students who think they’re taking a drug students often use to stay awake and study.
“Fentanyl is not like a party drug. It's not just gonna be in drugs that you would associate with partying. There's people that are taking Adderall and going to study that are overdosing on fentanyl. It's just a part of everyday life, unfortunately. And it's our job as students to try to protect the rest of the students the best we can.”
Jason Love is the Interfraternity Council’s Vice President for Risk Management. He says fraternities, UA’s School of Public Health and the University’s Student run emergency medical service are growing an organization called Fraternities Fighting Fentanyl.
Love says, “We have events in April, this next year, that's going to be on the mall, the University of Arizona ball. We're going to hand out fentanyl test strips, Narcan, and then just different education pieces for the community as a whole, like the school community, not just the Greek community.”
And both say just the sight of the boxes is a reminder of the danger any drug could present.
RELATED: Narcan distribution sites in Pima County
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Craig Smith is a reporter for KGUN 9. With more than 40 years of reporting in cities like Tampa, Houston and Austin, Craig has covered more than 40 Space Shuttle launches and covered historic hurricanes like Katrina, Ivan, Andrew and Hugo. Share your story ideas and important issues with Craig by emailing craig.smith@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook and Twitter.
