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The Daily Mississippian
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    State argues Jay Lee was strangled to death by Timothy Herrington

    State argues Jay Lee was strangled to death by Timothy Herrington

    Bond hearing postponed for man charged with student’s murder

    Bond hearing postponed for man charged with student’s murder

    Murder charge filed in connection with Jimmie “Jay” Lee case

    Murder charge filed in connection with Jimmie “Jay” Lee case

    “Hope for Jay”: LOU community gathers in support of missing student Jimmie “Jay” Lee

    “Hope for Jay”: LOU community gathers in support of missing student Jimmie “Jay” Lee

    Community, family searching for missing Ole Miss student Jay Lee

    Community, family searching for missing Ole Miss student Jay Lee

    Ole Miss welcomes new Student Media Center director

    Ole Miss welcomes new Student Media Center director

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    Rebel Nation celebrates Ole Miss’ first College World Series championship

    Rebel Nation celebrates Ole Miss’ first College World Series championship

    Ole Miss Baseball returns home to crowd of fans

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    Ole Miss sweeps Oklahoma to win National Championship

    Rebels bounce back to win thriller over Arkansas 2-0, advance to CWS Finals

    Rebels bounce back to win thriller over Arkansas 2-0, advance to CWS Finals

    Ole Miss is dominated again in game two

    Rebels victorious over Hogs, move on to bracket finals

    Rebs stay hot in Omaha, beat Auburn 5-1

    Rebs stay hot in Omaha, beat Auburn 5-1

  • Arts & Culture
    Ole Miss students study abroad in Taiwan, leave as China begins regular military drills

    Ole Miss students study abroad in Taiwan, leave as China begins regular military drills

    A step into the sports industry

    A step into the sports industry

    Ya heek ya balash: A month of exploring and experiencing Jordan

    Ya heek ya balash: A month of exploring and experiencing Jordan

    L.A. living

    L.A. living

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    Opinion: The shame of Confederate Heritage Month

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    CRT can’t be in Mississippi schools but homophobia must be?

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    State argues Jay Lee was strangled to death by Timothy Herrington

    State argues Jay Lee was strangled to death by Timothy Herrington

    Bond hearing postponed for man charged with student’s murder

    Bond hearing postponed for man charged with student’s murder

    Murder charge filed in connection with Jimmie “Jay” Lee case

    Murder charge filed in connection with Jimmie “Jay” Lee case

    “Hope for Jay”: LOU community gathers in support of missing student Jimmie “Jay” Lee

    “Hope for Jay”: LOU community gathers in support of missing student Jimmie “Jay” Lee

    Community, family searching for missing Ole Miss student Jay Lee

    Community, family searching for missing Ole Miss student Jay Lee

    Ole Miss welcomes new Student Media Center director

    Ole Miss welcomes new Student Media Center director

  • Sports
    Rebel Nation celebrates Ole Miss’ first College World Series championship

    Rebel Nation celebrates Ole Miss’ first College World Series championship

    Ole Miss Baseball returns home to crowd of fans

    Ole Miss sweeps Oklahoma to win National Championship

    Ole Miss sweeps Oklahoma to win National Championship

    Rebels bounce back to win thriller over Arkansas 2-0, advance to CWS Finals

    Rebels bounce back to win thriller over Arkansas 2-0, advance to CWS Finals

    Ole Miss is dominated again in game two

    Rebels victorious over Hogs, move on to bracket finals

    Rebs stay hot in Omaha, beat Auburn 5-1

    Rebs stay hot in Omaha, beat Auburn 5-1

  • Arts & Culture
    Ole Miss students study abroad in Taiwan, leave as China begins regular military drills

    Ole Miss students study abroad in Taiwan, leave as China begins regular military drills

    A step into the sports industry

    A step into the sports industry

    Ya heek ya balash: A month of exploring and experiencing Jordan

    Ya heek ya balash: A month of exploring and experiencing Jordan

    L.A. living

    L.A. living

  • Opinion

    Opinion: The shame of Confederate Heritage Month

    Farewell Column: I did my best and the DM did too

    Gas prices are Biden’s fault, not Putin’s

    CRT can’t be in Mississippi schools but homophobia must be?

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The Daily Mississippian
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Fentanyl’s danger to Oxford is unacceptable

Briley RakowbyBriley Rakow
March 21, 2022
Reading Time: 3 mins read

Drug and alcohol abuse have always been prominent issues on college campuses across the nation, but the recent fentanyl epidemic has proven to be one of the most deadly drug problems to hit the University of Mississippi. Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid approved to treat severe pain, is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, meaning, if misused, it causes severe harm in very small doses. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 36,000 people died from overdoses involving synthetic opioids in 2019, and this number has only grown since the start of the pandemic. The university has started using campus resources to educate students on fentanyl, symptoms of overdose and what to do in an overdose situation, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. 

The biggest issue with this new fentanyl epidemic: It is being mixed into other drugs, like heroin or methamphetamine, without the buyer’s knowledge. In the past year, the Drug Enforcement Administration has seized over nine million illicit pills containing fentanyl, with four out of ten containing lethal doses. The director of the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, col. Steven Maxwell, claims that because of Mississippi’s location, it is especially vulnerable to mass importation of illegal drugs. In 2021 alone, 48 out of 67 drug-related deaths in Mississippi were caused by fentanyl overdoses. 

Fortunately, UM has been dedicating resources to fight this issue and, hopefully, prevent deaths from drug overdoses in the Oxford community. The William Magee Center, a special program at the university dedicated to educating students on alcohol, drugs and wellness, has grown significantly in the past years. The center provides useful information on their website and offers special programs such as RebelADE, WellChats and the Collegiate Recovery Community to help students struggling with wellness issues and direct them to tools to start a path to sobriety.

The biggest step the William Magee Center has taken regarding fentanyl overdoses has been equipping Greek life and student housing with narcan, a nasal spray that reverses the effects of opioid overdoses. Leaders in these spaces have received training on how to respond to an overdose situation, which can hopefully limit the fatal effects of fentanyl. Campus fraternities and sororities additionally held  meetings going over where to find narcan in the house and how to identify overdose symptoms. While these tools are fantastic steps toward saving lives, there is still much more to be done when it comes to limiting opioid use on campus. 

Ensuring people are prepared to deal with an overdose is definitely helpful in saving lifes, but preventing students from using drugs that are laced with fentanyl is the ultimate goal. More education on campus about fentanyl and what drugs it is being laced into could prepare students better to make good decisions, and having fentanyl test strips, which can accurately detect fentanyl levels in drugs, readily available to community members and students would allow people to test drugs before using. 

Preventing the use of all illegal drugs is obviously the goal for the university, but having testing strips could  prevent student and community deaths in the meantime. Fentanyl is only becoming a larger and larger problem, and while the actions taken by the university to protect students is certainly greater than many other universities, this education and resource provision still have plenty of room for growth in the Oxford community. 

Briley Rakow is a sophomore majoring in integrated marketing communications from Lemont, Illinois.

In Case You Missed It

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“Hope for Jay”: LOU community gathers in support of missing student Jimmie “Jay” Lee

4 weeks ago

Fentanyl’s danger to Oxford is unacceptable

Briley RakowbyBriley Rakow
March 21, 2022
Reading Time: 3 mins read

Drug and alcohol abuse have always been prominent issues on college campuses across the nation, but the recent fentanyl epidemic has proven to be one of the most deadly drug problems to hit the University of Mississippi. Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid approved to treat severe pain, is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, meaning, if misused, it causes severe harm in very small doses. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 36,000 people died from overdoses involving synthetic opioids in 2019, and this number has only grown since the start of the pandemic. The university has started using campus resources to educate students on fentanyl, symptoms of overdose and what to do in an overdose situation, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. 

The biggest issue with this new fentanyl epidemic: It is being mixed into other drugs, like heroin or methamphetamine, without the buyer’s knowledge. In the past year, the Drug Enforcement Administration has seized over nine million illicit pills containing fentanyl, with four out of ten containing lethal doses. The director of the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, col. Steven Maxwell, claims that because of Mississippi’s location, it is especially vulnerable to mass importation of illegal drugs. In 2021 alone, 48 out of 67 drug-related deaths in Mississippi were caused by fentanyl overdoses. 

Fortunately, UM has been dedicating resources to fight this issue and, hopefully, prevent deaths from drug overdoses in the Oxford community. The William Magee Center, a special program at the university dedicated to educating students on alcohol, drugs and wellness, has grown significantly in the past years. The center provides useful information on their website and offers special programs such as RebelADE, WellChats and the Collegiate Recovery Community to help students struggling with wellness issues and direct them to tools to start a path to sobriety.

The biggest step the William Magee Center has taken regarding fentanyl overdoses has been equipping Greek life and student housing with narcan, a nasal spray that reverses the effects of opioid overdoses. Leaders in these spaces have received training on how to respond to an overdose situation, which can hopefully limit the fatal effects of fentanyl. Campus fraternities and sororities additionally held  meetings going over where to find narcan in the house and how to identify overdose symptoms. While these tools are fantastic steps toward saving lives, there is still much more to be done when it comes to limiting opioid use on campus. 

Ensuring people are prepared to deal with an overdose is definitely helpful in saving lifes, but preventing students from using drugs that are laced with fentanyl is the ultimate goal. More education on campus about fentanyl and what drugs it is being laced into could prepare students better to make good decisions, and having fentanyl test strips, which can accurately detect fentanyl levels in drugs, readily available to community members and students would allow people to test drugs before using. 

Preventing the use of all illegal drugs is obviously the goal for the university, but having testing strips could  prevent student and community deaths in the meantime. Fentanyl is only becoming a larger and larger problem, and while the actions taken by the university to protect students is certainly greater than many other universities, this education and resource provision still have plenty of room for growth in the Oxford community. 

Briley Rakow is a sophomore majoring in integrated marketing communications from Lemont, Illinois.

In Case You Missed It

Ole Miss students study abroad in Taiwan, leave as China begins regular military drills

Ole Miss students study abroad in Taiwan, leave as China begins regular military drills

7 days ago
A step into the sports industry

A step into the sports industry

7 days ago
State argues Jay Lee was strangled to death by Timothy Herrington

State argues Jay Lee was strangled to death by Timothy Herrington

7 days ago
Bond hearing postponed for man charged with student’s murder

Bond hearing postponed for man charged with student’s murder

3 weeks ago
Murder charge filed in connection with Jimmie “Jay” Lee case

Murder charge filed in connection with Jimmie “Jay” Lee case

4 weeks ago
“Hope for Jay”: LOU community gathers in support of missing student Jimmie “Jay” Lee

“Hope for Jay”: LOU community gathers in support of missing student Jimmie “Jay” Lee

4 weeks ago

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