Ashley Moody warns returning students about fentanyl vapes, fatal pills

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Even one pill (or puff) can kill.

That’s the sobering message from Attorney General Ashley Moody, who is calling attention to poison clouds from vape carts and phony medicines that could be pushed on unsuspecting youth as they go back to school.

“As millions of children prepare to head back to school, I’m urging parents to speak to their kids about the dangers of using drugs,” Moody said in a prepared statement.

“While Florida leads the nation in fentanyl interdiction efforts and reports are showing an overall statewide decrease in overdose deaths, there are concerning nationwide trends involving youth overdosing and dying from substance abuse. Please emphasize the importance of never using illicit substances like counterfeit pills or illicit vapes — they could contain fentanyl, and just one pill can kill.”

The release from her office cites a sobering statistic: “The New England Journal of Medicine reported that after more than a decade of remaining relatively stable, overdose deaths among 14- to 18-year-olds more than doubled. Since then, the issue has intensified, with the national teen overdose rate climbing to 22 deaths a week. Fentanyl is now involved in at least 75% of adolescent overdose deaths.”

Moody urges parents to have “age appropriate” approaches to “drug talk” with children, talking about “how dangerous addiction is.”  They should let children know “they are free to talk about the subject at home,” while setting “clear rules and consequences for children.”

Moody, a Republican from Plant City who is in her second term, has been persistent in warning about fentanyl, issuing Spring Break advisories, partnering with with McGruff the Crime Dog and warning about vape usage.

And she has emphasized the danger to young users specifically, messaging that fentanyl could harm children and teenagers in ways they wouldn’t suspect, especially in light of evidence that children under the age of 14 are most likely to suffer fentanyl poisoning.

In May, she blamed President Joe Biden’s border policies after a report highlighted that Florida leads the nation in fentanyl seizures.