The Dangers of Synthetic Drugs

The illicit use and abuse of synthetic drugs represents an emerging and ongoing public health threat in California. The fentanyl crisis specifically, has impacted communities across the state, leading to a sharp increase in fentanyl poisonings and deaths in recent years.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a health alert in December 2020, because of an increase in synthetic opioids in the western United States.

A synthetic drug is a drug with properties and effects similar to a known hallucinogen or narcotic but having a slightly altered chemical structure, especially such a drug created in order to evade existing restrictions against illegal substances.

Synthetic drugs include but are not limited to synthetic cannabinoids (“synthetic marijuana,” “spice,” “k2”), methamphetamines, bath salts, and fentanyl

The California Department of Public Health (“cdph”), has expounded on the extreme danger of drugs laced with fentanyl. Fentanyl is a high potency synthetic opioid that is colorless and odorless and can cause rapid respiratory depression resulting in accidental death. It is both a prescribed drug, as well as a drug that is used illegally. Fentanyl can be added to other drugs to make them cheaper, more powerful, and more addictive. Fentanyl has been found in many drugs, including heroin, methamphetamine, counterfeit pills, and cocaine. Fentanyl mixed with any drug increases the likelihood of a fatal overdose. Furthermore, it is nearly impossible to tell if drugs have been laced with fentanyl without additional testing, because fentanyl cannot be seen, smelled, or tasted when used as a lacing agent.

According to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH),

  • Emergency department visits related to non-fatal opioid overdoses in California’s youth ages 10-19 years have more than tripled from 2018 (379 total) to 2020 (1,222 total).

  • Opioid-related overdose deaths in California’s youth ages 10-19 years increased from 2018 (54 total) to 2020 (274 total), marking a 407 percent increase over two years, largely driven by fentanyl.

  • Fentanyl-related overdose deaths in California’s youth ages 10-19 years increased from 2018 (36 total) to 2020 (261 total), a 625 percent increase.

For more information and to help you to talk to your child about substance use, please see these resources: