HILLSBOROUGH, Calif. - A high school student spearheaded a free event in Hillsborough for teens and parents to raise awareness about the deadly effects of fentanyl.
Fentanyl is involved in 80% of drug deaths among young people, according to the CDC.
Rohan Dalal, 17, is a junior at Crystal Springs Uplands School and came up with the idea of hosting Hillsborough's first-ever Fentanyl Awareness Day. He also founded the Hillsborough Youth Commission for politically inclined students.
"I thought it was something that was really far away from us, but then I kept hearing all these stories about teens just like me who were overdosing, and I realized that fentanyl is a national problem, but also a problem in the Bay Area and especially for teens," said Dalal, a Hillsborough resident.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that can be cheaply made.
The goal of the event held at Crocker Middle School was to educate fellow students and their parents about accidental fentanyl poisoning.
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