Hall-Long leads discussion on youth drug overdoses

Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long discussed drug use and overdoses in the state during a June 2 program at Milford Boys and Girls Club.

“This is serious,” she said. “We all recognize that one pill can kill.”

The event served as a community briefing, bringing together state officials, health experts and doctors to discuss education initiatives designed to help keep young people off particularly dangerous drugs, such as opioids and fentanyl. 

Delaware Secretary of Education Mark Holodick said 537 Delawareans died due to drug overdoses or drug poisonings in 2022. He said until that number is zero, state officials will not stop trying to reach students and their families with information on how to stay safe and reduce overdoses. 

“Educating students about how they can live drug-free, healthy lives is not only an investment in today, but also an investment in tomorrow,” Holodick said.

He discussed the slogan, “One Pill Can Kill,” which is in reference to opioid-like drugs that are made to look like prescription drugs such as Percocet or Vicodin but actually contain fentanyl, which is 50 times more potent. 

Hall-Long tied in drug abuse in young people with the pressures of the last few years, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the normal peer pressure of being a teenager. 

The COVID pandemic put children in isolation, but also saw parents losing jobs and family members dying. “Anxiety and depression have doubled,” Hall-Long said. “It’s real.”

She said it is important for young people and parents to use critical state programs that can help with drugs and mental health. Those services, provided by the Department of Services for Youth, Children and Their Families, include prevention programs, early intervention services, family peer support and mental health services. In addition, DSYCF Secretary Josette Manning said five Boys and Girls Clubs throughout the state offer after-school programs aimed at drug prevention. 

Sabra Collins of the Delaware Department of Education said the state mandates each school district and charter school to have comprehensive health education programs, which include drug and alcohol education options. She said the department also has drug and alcohol education programs that can be taken online.

Another education initiative is offered through the Department of Health and Social Services. Joanna Champney, the director of the Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health, described this program as a tool kit, that can be taken online. The tool kit is designed for parents to be able to talk to kids about drugs and is organized into sections, which include an overview of what drugs kids might be taking, drug fact sheets, social media resources and resources for schools.