Few Colleges Have Plans to Address Overdose Prevention on Campus

Too few colleges have specific plans to address overdose prevention on campus, either through mandatory overdose training, broad distribution of naloxone or fentanyl test strips, NPR reports. A big reason for that lack of action is a dearth of data regarding deaths on college campuses.

The overdose death rate among young adults 18-24 spiked 34% between 2018 and 2022, driven largely by fentanyl infiltrating street drugs and fake pills resembling treatments for anxiety or ADHD, the article notes.

California’s Campus Opioid Safety Act requires most state community colleges to provide education and free naloxone to students. But a UCLA student died of an overdose in his dorm room last year, and there was no naloxone in the building, despite the school saying it is compliant with the law. Some college administrators are resistant to stocking naloxone. Some schools use their pharmacy school students to train other students to recognize overdose and administer naloxone. Others hang boxes containing free naloxone and how-to videos in places like libraries and dorms, alongside first-aid kits and fire extinguishers. Some distribute fentanyl test strips.