Between 2019 and 2021, more than 2,200 adolescents fatally overdose, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The potent synthetic opioid, fentanyl, was involved in 84 percent of these reported deaths. In an attempt to educate students, in grades 8 through 12, across Pennsylvania concerning the dangers of misusing, abusing prescription drugs — including fentanyl — the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General’s Community Drug Abuse Prevention grant program has sponsored the Truth Initiative and EVERFI in order to deliver the 2024 digital program, entitled: “Prescription Drug Safety: Know the Truth.”

The program explains the impact that misusing drugs can have on health, relationships and communities. According to the CDC, 12.2% of high school students across the nation, and 9% in Pennsylvania, have misused prescription opioids in their lifetimes. Underscoring the severity of this crisis is a recent surge in overdose deaths from counterfeit pills with over half the victims aged 35 or younger.

The digital program was originally developed and released in 2017. The program utilizes personal stories and interactive scenarios to educate students about appropriate prescription drug use, misuse, addiction, treatment and especially the dangers of fentanyl and other counterfeit drugs.

In addition to this digital program, states across the U.S. are increasingly allowing schools to stock the medication naloxone. Naloxone can reverse an opioid overdose. The American Medical Association and the National Association of School Nurses have both endorsed providing school staff with naloxone to potentially save lives.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, approximately 53 percent of PA school nurses currently have a stock of naloxone on hand, in case of an emergency. For more detailed information about PA’s naloxone program for schools, visit https://www.health.pa.gov/.

An independent study, released in February 2023 by Springer Link, revealed that the EVERFI and Truth Initiative’s Prescription Drug Safety program has produced a lasting, positive impact on teenagers’ knowledge, attitudes, as well as their behaviors regarding the safe and proper use of prescription drugs.

“This impact [of the program] is consistent across various demographics, highlighting the program’s effectiveness in empowering a broad range of students,” said Attorney General Michelle Henry, who also emphasized the importance of providing this educational program to help today’s youth understand and make informed choices — with hopes that this education will eventually address the current opioid crisis.

Truth Initiative and EVERFI have collaborated on other educational programs for youth, including “Vaping: Know the Truth” and “This is Quitting.”

“Truth Initiative is proud to share our expertise in creating public health messaging aimed at youth to provide real impact to address the urgent fentanyl and prescription drug misuse crisis, which is derailing the lives of young people across the nation at alarming rates,” said Robin Koval, CEO and president of Truth Initiative. “‘Prescription Drug Safety: Know the truth’ builds on the success of our already proven ‘Vaping: Know the truth’ curriculum, which has been used by nearly one million students to date.”

During the 2023-2024 school year the Prescription Drug Safety program is expected to reach a total of 250,000 teenagers, nationwide, according to Truth Initiative.

“Prescription Drug Safety: Know the Truth” is available to schools at no cost due to grant monies provided by the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General.

For more information about the “Prescription Drug Safety: Know the Truth” program, visit https://everfi.com/courses/k-12/prescription-drug-safety-high-school/.