Fentanyl, being 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, is known to be the most lethal painkiller [1]. The drug is illegally imported from China and smuggled through the US-Mexico border. In 2022, more than 11,000 pounds of fentanyl made its way into the U.S., and more than half of it came right through the border of Mexico and San Diego [2]. Even with recent government crackdowns, fentanyl is still managing to enter the country and reach victims who are unaware they are taking a potentially deathly substance. Many of these victims are young, college-aged students who purchase drugs for recreational use and unintentionally consume laced substances [3]. Thus, the problem of fentanyl overdose has infiltrated college communities, creating serious danger to the health and safety of student populations. 

Students are especially susceptible to drug use due to peer pressure, academic stress, and a period of exploration that comes with young adult life. However, no student taking recreational drugs expects their substances to be laced with fentanyl. Thus, overdose can happen to any student who partakes in recreational drug use, not just drug addicts. In one incident, a student named Madeline Globe at the University of Colorado died after buying a 5-dollar pill she thought was a Xanax, but it turned out to be fentanyl. The impact on the community and Madeline's family was catastrophic. After the incident, her parents recalled that Madeline Globe was not a fentanyl user. If anything, her parents said, Madeline was always the one who took care of her friends. In an interview, Maddie's friends recalled that she was "not a drug addict" and that Maddie had "big plans" for her future, highlighting the fact that you do not have to be a drug addict to be susceptible to an overdose [4].

In another incident, a student named Eitan Weinerat at Stanford University died after overdosing on fentanyl from ingesting counterfeit Percocet pills. After investigating his death, local law enforcement found and seized a large amount of counterfeit Percocet pills laced with fentanyl. After the incident, Stanford students started advocating for more harm reduction resources on campus, leading to Narcan and testing strips being widely accessible on the Stanford campus. Additionally, the college put out a statement saying, "We are increasing our drug and alcohol prevention and education programs, enhancing screening and assessment of students who have engaged in substance abuse, and working with national experts in college substance abuse to develop a comprehensive plan to promote and support student health and well-being" [5].

On a state level, California Governor Gavin Newson signed Senate Bill 367 into law, which went into effect as of January 1, 2023. The bill, known as the Campus Opioid Safety Act, is aimed at reducing opioid-related overdoses on college campuses by providing education, information, and medication. The Act was passed after several incidents regarding student overdoses in California [6]. The bill requires specific public higher education institutions to give their students information about opioid overdose and provide students with Narcan. Campuses are required to provide information regarding overdose as part of student orientation as well as distribute overdose reversal medication, such as naloxone, to fulfill the bill [7]. The University of California UC system is strongly encouraged but not required to follow the bill. Many students, faculty, and law enforcement groups have pushed to expand the bill to include all U.C. campuses, given that right now, student organizations, such as End Overdose, are the main form of opioid awareness. Student organizations are doing great work on overdose prevention and awareness; however, they should not be the primary method for resources and education surrounding fentanyl. As students, we are all affected or know someone who has been affected by a drug overdose. Nobody wants to be put into a position where they have to administer Narcan. Yet, if a student has to administer it to a friend or peer, they should feel comfortable doing so. Thus, the UC system should implement the bill even without legal pressure, especially considering that UCLA is located near one of the hearts of the epidemic. The UCs need to do more to educate students about fentanyl protection and how to administer Narcan, as well as provide students with access to Narcan and fentanyl testing strips. Ensuring students are safe and healthy on campus is absolutely vital. Student safety needs to be of the utmost priority on the UCLA campus, and right now, the school is doing an inadequate job at addressing a major student health and safety threat. 

Federally, the Biden-Harris administration announced a strengthened approach to crack down on illicit fentanyl supply chains. The Biden-Harris Administration's strengthened approach builds on the President's National Drug Control Strategy, which focuses on untreated addiction and drug trafficking, two leading causes of the epidemic. The approach aims to crack down on the production, sale, and trafficking of illicit fentanyl. According to a White House report, the Biden-Harris Administration has implemented a whole-of-government evidence-based strategy which includes leading a coordinated global effort with international partners to stop the drug trade, strengthening coordination and information-sharing among U.S. intelligence and domestic law enforcement agencies, further protecting the U.S. financial system from drug traffickers, and continuing to call on Congress to close legal loopholes for illicit synthetic drugs [8].

At the beginning of the epidemic, fentanyl was largely shipped from China to the U.S. as it is easy to ship due to its extreme potency and because it is made from chemicals in labs. Thus, it does not rely on crops like other drugs such as cocaine, marijuana, and heroin. Former President Donald Trump reached an agreement in 2018 to increase regulations on fentanyl shipments. After this agreement, most fentanyl production moved to Mexico, with most of the raw materials still coming from China. This year, Biden has made progress in his global effort with international partners to prevent the illicit synthetic drug trade. Earlier this year, President Joe Biden met with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping and achieved a diplomatic win as he was able to get Xi to verbally commit to joining the fight against fentanyl trafficking. Under the agreement with China, Xi's government will specifically target the chemical companies in charge of producing fentanyl precursors. The China-based manufacturers ship these precursors to places like Mexico, where drug cartels get a finished product to distribute in the U.S. Additionally, China has resumed sharing information about trafficking suspicions with an international database. This is a key part of progress as this will be the first time in three years that China has agreed to share this information and has also agreed to create a counternarcotics group with the United States. According to experts, this agreement with China is a step in the right direction, but only because not doing so would be negligent of the issue. Adam Wandt, an associate professor of public policy at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, added, “If this is a diplomatic option that we did not take, every fentanyl death over the next decade would be on our heads” [9].

Biden also made progress with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. During the meeting with López Obrador, the Mexican president told Biden he is "sincerely committed" to assisting in its "fullest capacity to prevent drug trafficking, namely the entrance of fentanyl and other chemical precursors" [10]. Similarly, Xi said during a dinner in San Francisco, “China sympathizes deeply with the American people, especially the young, for the sufferings that fentanyl has inflicted upon them.” Biden added, “It’s going to save lives, and I appreciate President Xi’s commitment on this issue.” Fentanyl is notoriously difficult to trace, but having China and Mexico as partners instead of antagonists is a step in the right direction, given that the United States needs the cooperation of both countries to end the epidemic successfully. 

While this agreement is a step in the right direction, it is not enough to stop the overdose crisis. The steps are predicted to reduce the amount of fentanyl in the U.S., but what happens after depends on the quantity of chemicals that are already in the possession of Mexican cartels. Wandt also added that even if fentanyl is eradicated, it will be replaced with another drug, predicted to be even more lethal. There was also concern that the nations did not reach any agreements in regard to laundering drug money through China, which is a major problem in the epidemic. Earlier in the year, China’s National Narcotics Control Commission released a directive that provided several existing laws regarding narcotics to remind Chinese logistics businesses about the prevention of the shipment of narcotics abroad. The notice alerted businesses to be careful about orders from the United States and Mexico and be cautious of exported items that could be used to make drugs. However, the supply price is only one small part in a much bigger issue. It is a great start that China and the U.S. are dealing with the issue, but cooperation from other countries, especially more effort from Mexico, is needed for real change to occur. Additionally, attention needs to be put on addressing prevention, treatment, and recovery within the United States to create lasting change.

In addition to diplomatic agreements, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen announced on Monday a new Counter-Fentanyl Strike Force aimed to increase stricter regulations on the illicit financial networks that enable drug traffickers to import drugs into the United States [11]. The strike force will provide resources to the agency to stop the financial crimes that support the fentanyl trade networks. According to the White House Report, one of the main strategies to stop the epidemic is protecting the U.S. financial system from drug traffickers, who rely on significant funding to manage their supply chain. The Biden-Harris Administration is increasing its efforts to stop the financial activity that enables these criminals by increasing accountability to stop drug traffickers' access to the U.S. financial system as well as illicit financial flows. This strike makes significant progress in enacting this strategy as it will use financial intelligence to understand risks and map transnational criminal organization [TCO] financial networks," according to a news release. 

Moreover, multiple key departments within the Treasury Department specializing in financial crimes, sanctions, and tracking terrorist and illicit financing will be part of the new strike force. These include the IRS criminal investigation unit, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, the Office of Foreign Assets Control, the Office of Intelligence and Analysis, and the Office of Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes. Treasury Department investigators can share financial data with other sectors, including the Drug Enforcement Agency and the Department of Homeland Security, to prevent fentanyl trade. One of the main goals of the strike force is to combine analytic expertise across the Treasury Department to help identify opportunities to go after fentanyl trafficking networks [12]. 

The new global partners and Strike Force are significant steps in the right direction of stopping the opioid epidemic. In regards to state laws, more can be done to focus on college students, who are specifically susceptible to opioid overdose. For example, expanding Bill 367 to include the UC system could better ensure that students of our community are educated about the dangers of fentanyl and prepared on what to do if they are ever in the presence of an overdose. There have been far too many devastating losses from fentanyl overdoses. Still, with enough attention from federal and state officials, overdoses can be prevented, and college communities can restore the health and safety of their students.