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As illegal opioid use rises among young people, several bills filed by state lawmakers would require Texas teachers to be trained and equipped to treat fentanyl overdoses, both on campus and at school-related events.

Several bills call for educators and school staff at public, charter and private schools, as well as those at colleges and universities, to know how to reverse deadly opioid overdoses with Narcan and other overdose medications known as 鈥渙pioid antagonists.鈥�

Eight bills calling for some sort of opioid emergency training for school personnel have been filed by Democrats: state. Sen. of San Antonio and state Reps. of San Antonio, of Mission, of Houston, of Driftwood, of Austin; and Rep. of Round Rock.

These bills cover a wide range of topics regarding the use of overdose reversal medications, including allowing physicians to dispense such medication to schools without requiring identification of the user and setting training standards for school personnel.

鈥淲e are adding this to the things that we鈥檝e already done in the past when it comes to epinephrine pens and medication for people who suffer from asthma,鈥� said Men茅ndez, author of . 鈥淲e鈥檙e just saying that this is important as other lifesaving measures that you have in schools.鈥�

Narcan (the brand name for the drug naloxone) or other opioid antagonists would be stored on campuses and school personnel would be trained in its use. All of these bills would also require the state health commissioner to establish an advisory committee to conduct a follow-up review after each time the medication is used.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. Prescription fentanyl can be taken safely when prescribed by doctors. But a rise in its illicit use began during the pandemic and continues today.

鈥淐urrently, an opioid epidemic is sweeping the nation, and Texas is not an exception,鈥� said Hannah Reinhard, chief of staff for Cortez. 鈥淭his bill comes from the fact that anyone can suffer from addiction and a potential overdose. Not only that, but children can easily mistake an opioid for candy and risk devastating effects.鈥�

These bills would put Texas in line with similar states like that have provided naloxone, the overdose-reversing nasal spray, to schools through a grant program.

鈥淭he more people authorized to administer naloxone, the better,鈥� said Katharine Neill Harris, a drug policy fellow at Rice University鈥檚 Baker Institute for Public Policy. 鈥淚鈥檝e heard from some people who have tried to get naloxone in schools that nurses/teachers have felt they aren鈥檛 allowed to administer it. The law would clear up any liability concerns and thus encourage more schools to have it available throughout campuses.鈥�

Men茅ndez鈥檚 bill doesn鈥檛 specify how the medication and the training would be funded, but the San Antonio lawmaker believes settlement funds the state has received from opioid companies should be more than enough. Texas is estimated to receive about over the course of 18 years from three large pharmaceutical distribution companies through a settlement agreement reached in 2021.

, authored by Talarico, would allow the state to use money from the opioid settlement to purchase opioid antagonists in bulk from manufacturers to decrease the price burden on organizations distributing the medication. First responders and groups that work with people who use drugs have difficulty supplying Narcan because of its cost 鈥� about $125 for a kit with two doses.

Nationwide, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that from drug overdoses in 2021, the last available year. Synthetic opioids were responsible for 71,000 of those deaths, and they were largely from fentanyl.

Opioid overdose deaths increased by 94% among people ages 14 to 18 from 2019 to 2020 and by 20% from 2020 to 2021, the CDC reported. Since the pandemic began, there鈥檚 been to fentanyl and other opioids through social media.

In Texas, the CDC more than 5,000 people died of drug overdoses between October 2021 and October 2022. Overdose deaths involving fentanyl in the state rose , from 333 people dying in 2019 to 1,662 people in 2021.

A majority of people who ingested a fatal dose of fentanyl had no idea the synthetic opioid had been laced with other drugs they were attempting to use.

Makers of illegal drugs often use fentanyl as a booster for other drugs they are selling,

Since September, Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District in the Dallas-Fort Worth area has reported while six others were hospitalized, all from fentanyl overdoses. Four Hays Consolidated Independent School District students died last year from fentanyl overdoses. None of these occurred on school campuses.

Just 2 milligrams of fentanyl can be a lethal dose depending on a person鈥檚 body size, tolerance and past usage, according to the .

The agency that fentanyl is increasingly finding its way into 鈥渇ake prescription pills鈥� that are 鈥渆asily accessible and often sold on social media and e-commerce platforms.鈥�

Republican and Democratic lawmakers have when it comes to tackling the growing fentanyl crisis in the state.

State Sen. , D-Dallas, has teamed up with state Sen. , R-Edgewood, to push through to decriminalize the use of testing strips and other methods used to detect fentanyl.

Late last year, Republican Gov. came out in favor of legalizing fentanyl test strips which help users identify whether the drugs they are planning on taking contain the deadly synthetic opioid. Abbott previously opposed such a policy but said the increase in opioid overdose deaths had brought a 鈥渂etter understanding鈥� that more needs to be done by the state to tackle the problem.

The Texas governor also said he wanted to make across the state.

Rep. , R-Rio Grande City, has also proposed a bill that would create a task force to study methods to incentivize manufacturers of opioid antagonists to increase production. The task force must submit a report to the Legislature no later than Dec. 1, 2024.

The commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services would be required to issue a statewide standing order prescribing opioid antagonists to those in need and would have all liability removed to accomplish this under , proposed by Sen. , R-Lubbock. A matching bill, , was authored by Rep. , R-Cypress, and Democratic Reps. of Austin and of Dallas.

Men茅ndez said the idea for his bill came after hearing the fears from local parents and students about how easily fentanyl can accidentally be consumed.

鈥淭here is a powerful drug out there in our society and we need to be prepared,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 scary how pervasive this thing could become very quickly. And how damaging, unless we get on top of this, it can be specifically for those living in areas with limited access to health care.鈥�

Texans seeking help for substance use can call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration鈥檚 at 800-662-4357. They can also access services in their region through the .

Disclosure: Rice University and Rice University鈥檚 Baker Institute for Public Policy have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete .

This article originally appeared in , a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.

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