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NEWPORT - The National Honor Society of Newport High School will be hosting a Fentanyl Awareness Day Thursday, Oct. 9 at 11:40 a.m., for high school and leadership students from Riverside and Cusick High School.
The purpose of this event is to inform students of the dangers of fentanyl, especifically in eastern Washington and Pend Oreille County. Guest speakers include local resident Todd Krogh, who lost his son to fentanyl poisoning, Sarah Nowels, a speaker with personal experience of fentanyl addiction and Newport Police Officer and Newport School District School Resource Officer Chris Bell.
“Together, we hope to provide students with the knowledge, awareness, and tools they need to stay safe and make informed choices in the face of this ongoing crisis,” Newport High School Principal Steve Bouldin said in a press release.
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, Fentanyl is up to 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine. It is odorless, tasteless, and colorless—meaning teens never know what they’re getting. It takes only about 2 milligrams of fentanyl, about the size of a few grains of salt, to potentially kill a person. In 2024, the DEA seized enough fentanyl to kill every person in the United States. Opioids, specifically fentanyl, remain a leading cause of death for Americans ages 18–44. In Washington state, there have been over 3,000 overdose deaths in the past 13 months alone.
DEA data shows that one in three drug trafficking cases involve social media platforms, making it critical for youth and parents to understand the risks that may be only a click away.
Regionally, the emergence of fentanyl pills—as brightly colored pills or powdered forms—has prompted the Spokane Police Department to issue warnings to parents. These pills and powders often resemble candy, like Skittles or Tarts, or even sidewalk chalk, making them especially dangerous to youth. Investigators note that while pill use has diminished somewhat, traffickers have shifted toward more “colorful” powdered forms to appeal to young people.
