JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Federal agents taught teens about the dangers of illegal drug use at a healthcare summer camp.
DEA Special Agent in Charge Mike Dubet runs the Jacksonville DEA office.
He and other agents and investigators showed up at the camp at Sharron Nursing School on the day when the teens were learning how to administer aid to an overdose victim.
One of the agents, who works undercover, talked heavily about fentanyl.
“Everything we’re getting now, let’s say 80 percent, but it’s really more, probably has some fentanyl in it. What an addict can take is a lot different than what you guys can take,” the agent said.
He also talked about pills that are made to look like real medication, but are actually fentanyl in disguise.
“The fake ones are yellow here and the real ones are not. It comes in every variation also. You’ll have the fake one look exactly like the real one,” the agent said.
He went to each table to show the teens a picture of someone whose leg was rotting away after becoming addicted to what’s known on the streets as “Tranq”, which is a mixture of fentanyl and animal tranquilizers.
“This person was such an addict that they let their leg go to this. Is this not disgusting? I’m going to show it to everyone,” the agent said.
The teens had a visceral reaction to the photo. It’s something they may eventually encounter if they work in a hospital one day.
It’s also giving them another reason to avoid experimenting with drugs. Dubet was very direct with his message to the class.
“I want every one of you to be scared. I’m scared of this stuff, and you should be scared,” Dubet said to the teens.
They were so captivated by what they were hearing and seeing, they began asking serious questions.
“Can edibles contain fentanyl?” someone asked. Dubet said they “100%” can.
Another teen asked if fentanyl was being aimed towards kids because it can look similar to candy like Skittles and Jolly Ranchers. Dubet said it is being aimed at kids.
For a lot of these teens, hearing what the DEA had to say was a dose of reality.
“I don’t know how people get addicted to that,” Tinajah McClendon said.
Another student said it was an eye-opener.
“I was surprised by the different drug effects and what really goes on in the world,” Victory Daniels said.
Another student said she hopes this serves as a warning.
“I really hope other kids who see this or hear about it or get informed by their parents who see this to warn them,” Alexie Charles said.
Another student said what they learned can be scary.
“To a young person like me, it’s really scary. This stuff is happening in real life,” Zuri Poole said.
The DEA hopes these lessons will prevent a tragedy.
If you or someone you know is abusing drugs and want help, Call the National Drug Help Hotline at 1-844-289-0879.