Dr. Rahul Gupta recalled Wednesday when others would offer him drugs while he was a student at John F. Kennedy High School in Silver Spring. But something made him decide not to accept the offer, he said.
“That was so fortunate for me,” Gupta, who’s originally from India but grew up in Wheaton, said Wednesday while speaking at his alma mater. “I know not everybody’s always in the same place. But that little decision you decide to make at that time, no matter what’s going on in your life, makes a big difference afterwards.”
Gupta, the White House director of national drug control policy, visited Kennedy High to highlight the dangers of illicit drugs such as fentanyl as a part of National Youth Substance Use Prevention Month.
Maryland Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller also spoke at the assembly, sharing that her brother-in-law died from an opioid overdose. Miller said she never saw his pain because he didn’t share it.
“When we share our experiences, we help others feel less alone,” Miller said. “We break down the walls of shame and stigma that surround struggles like addiction and we show others that they, too, can seek help.”
Gupta said drugs have gotten more dangerous due to the proliferation of fake pills sold on the internet. The pills are often mixed with fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), seven out of every 10 pills seized by the organization contain a lethal dose of fentanyl.
To address substance use, Gupta encouraged students to reach out to and support those around them, be cautious about purchasing and using online pills, and to carry naloxone. Often known by the brand name Narcan, naxolone is an emergency medicine that can reverse an opioid overdose.
In May 2023, MCPS allowed students to carry naloxone on campus. MCPS provides the medicine for free without a prescription to Montgomery County residents. The push for more ways to address youth substance use came after youth and adolescent overdoses increased by nearly 80% in 2022 in Montgomery County.
Laura Mitchell, co-founder of the substance use prevention and recovery initiative Montgomery Goes Purple, told MoCo360 that MCPS is doing “a great job” of providing drug use preventative measures including mental health services.
Gupta told MoCo360 that holding events such as Wednesday’s session are important to reach young people in a multitude of ways, whether that be through assemblies or social media.
“We want to really educate with respect and meet people where they are,” Gupta said.
Mitchell said although there’s always more work to do regarding education and prevention concerning drugs, Wednesday’s event “feels like a win for our students.”
“It feels like we’re making progress,” Mitchell said. “We’re moving the needle and that’s what’s important.”
