A group of local freshmen at Clairemont High School are helping educate their peers on the dangers of fentanyl.
The trio, Anika Barley, Reece Branchaeu, and Maelea Silao, have been learning about fentanyl for a class project for months. On Wednesday, they were able to present what they’ve learned to other students.
“From 1999 to 2011 the death rate in the United States due to opioid overdoses nearly quadrupled,” said Silao, as she spoke to a group of roughly 10 teens huddled around their group’s table in the cafeteria.
Silao explained the project is assigned each year. Students first needed to select their groups, then come up with a proposal that covers what drug they would like to look into and how they would plan to do it. For Silao, Barley and Branchaeu the decision was easy.
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“Fentanyl was our top choice,” said Silao. “Because of how big of an impact it has currently.”
In June 2022, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors declared a public health emergency because of the amount of illegal fentanyl flooding San Diego.
San Diego County has become a national epicenter for fentanyl trafficking, with nearly 60% of all fentanyl seized around the country happening at the U.S.-Mexico border, according to the Department of Justice. It has become the leading cause of death for young San Diegans.
That’s exactly what this assignment hopes to prevent.
The group had a trifold poster with informational write-ups, as well as pictures of what fentanyl pills could look like and graphs that show how urgent of an issue this has become. They also had a booklet that showed two similar pills side by side, like Xanax, then had participants guess which one was laced with fentanyl. The point is, there is no way to truly know.
“It feels powerful since I get to bring such a dangerous and deadly topic to light,” said Silao. “And being able to bring awareness to it so that I can protect my friends and my family, and just the people who surround me.”
As a 14-year-old, Silao is wiser than your typical freshmen might be. She understands the toll fentanyl takes on the body and said it is just plain scary and sad.
The three teens also made an interactive online tool to help educate the community on how fentanyl interacts with different body parts, based on how it is ingested. For example, it shows the impact of a fentanyl pill that is swallowed on the heart, lungs, brain and intestines.
“It’s just good now that this project is over and all of the awareness and information is out for everyone. It just, it feels good that people now are aware and that I had an impact,” said Silao.
A great impact that could save a life.
Watch NBC 7's Poison Pill: San Diego County's Battle Against Fentanyl
NBC 7 decided to dig deeper, beyond the headlines and statistics, to understand how and why this fentanyl emergency has unfolded in San Diego County, as well as the impact the crisis is having in our communities and finally, what work needs to be done to fight what’s being called an epidemic.
