Travis County Youth Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition

Substance abuse expert Jessica Lahey rolls her eyes when parents justify underage drinking by arguing that in most European countries, the legal age is 18 and drinking starts younger.  “That attitude, unfortunately, increases your child’s risk of developing a substance use disorder over their lifetime,” says Lahey, author of Addiction … Continue to full story .......

On March 29, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Narcan, a nasal spray version of the opioid reversal medication naloxone, for over-the-counter distribution. The FDA did not release an official timeline, but said in a news release that Narcan will soon be sold in drugstores, convenience stores, grocery stores, … Continue to full story .......

GEORGETOWN — The family of Layton Ivins is speaking out after losing the teen to an alleged case of fentanyl poisoning last month.  Cody Ivins, Layton’s father, said the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office is investigating his son’s death.   Now: Two people have been arrested.  WCSO said, on Jan. 22, the … Continue to full story .......

In an effort to combat a rising number of opioid overdose deaths in the state, the TX House passed a bill that would decriminalize fentanyl test strips, which warn people if a drug they are about to take contains traces of the deadly synthetic opioid.  The bill would take fentanyl … Continue to full story .......

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved selling naloxone without a prescription, setting the overdose-reversing drug on course to become the first opioid treatment drug to be sold over the counter. It’s a move that some advocates have long sought as a way to improve access to a … Continue to full story .......

The first individual was successfully transferred for treatment from the Austin Sobering Center which has now started a pilot project to do the same for other individuals.  A small number of people who come to the sobering center who still need and want treatment for substance abuse are allowed to … Continue to full story .......

As illegal opioid use rises among young people, several bills filed by state lawmakers would require Texas teachers to be trained and equipped to treat fentanyl overdoses, both on campus and at school-related events.  Several bills call for educators and school staff at public, charter and private schools, as … Continue to full story .......

“Our kids are not even close to being OK,” says Michelle P. Maidenberg Ph.D., MPH, LCSW-R  “I’m astonished at how many patients I’m currently treating that have been directly or indirectly impacted by suicide or fentanyl poisoning. There’s a new crop of youth who are suffering with anxiety, … Continue to full story .......

A teen was arrested by Kyle and San Marcos Police in connection to a fatal fentanyl overdose case involving a minor.  18-year-old Jubenal Flores Sanchez was arrested following an investigation involving the delivery of fentanyl and the “death of a child” in Hays County.

“Recently, a patient’s high-school senior experimented with an opioid and never woke because it was laced with fentanyl,” said Michelle P. Maidenberg Ph.D., MPH, LCSW-R. Fentanyl is now the number-one cause of overdose deaths in the country. It surpasses heroin by a large margin.  Expanding awareness and education is … Continue to full story .......