Fentanyl in Cocaine: Colin's Story
anymore. It’s also making its way into common party drugs like cocaine and Molly.
Take Colin, for example. He was funny, good in school, loved sports. But for years, Colin had struggled with depression and was actively seeking help with his family. So when COVID hit, Colin was affected more than most.
COVID was a big change for him. When the lockdown started, he began to spend a lot more time in his room with his door closed. There was just something off, really off, those last two weeks of his life. He wasn’t suicidal; he felt very depressed.
Colin Walker died in his bedroom after consuming what he thought was cocaine but was actually fentanyl, a synthetic painkiller up to a hundred times more potent than morphine. It was discovered that though Colin had only taken a small amount, he had five times a lethal dose of fentanyl in his system. He was 17 years old.
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Colin didn’t die from a drug overdose; he was fatally poisoned by fentanyl disguised as another drug. Illicit fentanyl is a rapidly growing industry in America. It’s an ideal raw material for drug dealers because it’s cheap, easy to get, and extremely potent. The bottom line is that this is all about money, and people ages 15 to 25 are the ones suffering.
Fentanyl is involved in 80 percent of youth drug deaths, higher than any other age group. Of youth deaths involving cocaine, 86 percent also involve fentanyl. Drug sellers don’t know for sure if their products contain fentanyl or other chemicals. Learn about the proper use of fentanyl test strips and naloxone. Don’t let you or your friends’ story end like Colin’s.
Using street drugs is risky enough, but with the flood of fentanyl into the streets, it’s becoming deadly. You didn’t create this problem, but you can be part of the solution. Help us spread the word: fentanyl kills nearly 5,000 kids a year, just like Colin. It’s not just pills; street drugs aren’t safe either. To learn more about how you can keep you and your friends safe, visit songforcharlie.org.
