• Apply
  • Archives
  • NewsWatch
  • Classifieds
  • Multimedia
    • Ole Miss in Puerto Rico
    • Campus Protests
    • The Queen of Marks
    • Meet Aubrey Armstrong, a Real Champion and Local Celebrity
    • Mississippi voters passed Initiative 65. What’s next?
    • One year later: COVID-19 at Ole Miss
    • “It’s Just Not Fair”: One Woman’s Fight For Access to Community Water
    • A way with words
Friday, September 29, 2023
  • Login
No Result
View All Result
The Daily Mississippian
  • News
    UM students vote: Presley vs. Reeves

    UM students vote: Presley vs. Reeves

    Numerous hurdles stand in the way of young voters

    Numerous hurdles stand in the way of young voters

    UM launches creative writing program

    UM launches creative writing program

    Author Roosevelt Montás champions free thinking, liberal arts

    Author Roosevelt Montás champions free thinking, liberal arts

    Eat up, Rebs: UM expands dining options on campus

    Eat up, Rebs: UM expands dining options on campus

    ASB Senate prioritizes transparency, passes bill

    ASB Senate prioritizes transparency, passes bill

  • Sports
    • All
    • Game Recap
    Three takeaways from Ole Miss’ disappointing loss to Alabama

    Michael Trigg, Reginald Hughes no longer part of Ole Miss Football

    Carry-on, Jerrion

    Rebels seek first SEC win against LSU

    Three takeaways from Ole Miss’ nail-biter in College Station

    Player Spotlight: Quinshon Judkins promises to ramp things up

    Ole Miss Hockey returns: new player breakdown

    Ole Miss Hockey returns: new player breakdown

    Football realigns conferences, but at what cost?

    Football realigns conferences, but at what cost?

    Player Spotlight: Jaxson Dart beats skeptics

    Player Spotlight: Jaxson Dart beats skeptics

  • Arts & Culture

    Snackbar to host “Food of My People” with Betsy Chapman

    Morgan Wallen to return to Oxford

    Morgan Wallen to return to Oxford

    Student-made cooking show arrives on campus

    Student-made cooking show arrives on campus

    CASA Encore raises an impressive $450K

    CASA Encore raises an impressive $450K

  • Opinion
    My Blackness isn’t on a schedule

    Designer versus fast fashion: Is it worth the investment?

    My Blackness isn’t on a schedule

    How an ATV wreck saved my life

    My Blackness isn’t on a schedule

    Casual drug use runs rampant across campus

    My Blackness isn’t on a schedule

    Press on, Presley

  • Print / e-Editions
  • Advertise
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Policy
    • Classifieds
  • Contact
  • News
    UM students vote: Presley vs. Reeves

    UM students vote: Presley vs. Reeves

    Numerous hurdles stand in the way of young voters

    Numerous hurdles stand in the way of young voters

    UM launches creative writing program

    UM launches creative writing program

    Author Roosevelt Montás champions free thinking, liberal arts

    Author Roosevelt Montás champions free thinking, liberal arts

    Eat up, Rebs: UM expands dining options on campus

    Eat up, Rebs: UM expands dining options on campus

    ASB Senate prioritizes transparency, passes bill

    ASB Senate prioritizes transparency, passes bill

  • Sports
    • All
    • Game Recap
    Three takeaways from Ole Miss’ disappointing loss to Alabama

    Michael Trigg, Reginald Hughes no longer part of Ole Miss Football

    Carry-on, Jerrion

    Rebels seek first SEC win against LSU

    Three takeaways from Ole Miss’ nail-biter in College Station

    Player Spotlight: Quinshon Judkins promises to ramp things up

    Ole Miss Hockey returns: new player breakdown

    Ole Miss Hockey returns: new player breakdown

    Football realigns conferences, but at what cost?

    Football realigns conferences, but at what cost?

    Player Spotlight: Jaxson Dart beats skeptics

    Player Spotlight: Jaxson Dart beats skeptics

  • Arts & Culture

    Snackbar to host “Food of My People” with Betsy Chapman

    Morgan Wallen to return to Oxford

    Morgan Wallen to return to Oxford

    Student-made cooking show arrives on campus

    Student-made cooking show arrives on campus

    CASA Encore raises an impressive $450K

    CASA Encore raises an impressive $450K

  • Opinion
    My Blackness isn’t on a schedule

    Designer versus fast fashion: Is it worth the investment?

    My Blackness isn’t on a schedule

    How an ATV wreck saved my life

    My Blackness isn’t on a schedule

    Casual drug use runs rampant across campus

    My Blackness isn’t on a schedule

    Press on, Presley

  • Print / e-Editions
  • Advertise
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Policy
    • Classifieds
  • Contact
No Result
View All Result
The Daily Mississippian
No Result
View All Result

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

Snackbar to host “Food of My People” with Betsy Chapman

16 hours ago
Three takeaways from Ole Miss’ disappointing loss to Alabama

Michael Trigg, Reginald Hughes no longer part of Ole Miss Football

21 hours ago
Morgan Wallen to return to Oxford

Morgan Wallen to return to Oxford

21 hours ago
Student-made cooking show arrives on campus

Student-made cooking show arrives on campus

22 hours ago
CASA Encore raises an impressive $450K

CASA Encore raises an impressive $450K

22 hours ago
UM students vote: Presley vs. Reeves

UM students vote: Presley vs. Reeves

22 hours 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

Snackbar to host “Food of My People” with Betsy Chapman

16 hours ago
Three takeaways from Ole Miss’ disappointing loss to Alabama

Michael Trigg, Reginald Hughes no longer part of Ole Miss Football

21 hours ago
Morgan Wallen to return to Oxford

Morgan Wallen to return to Oxford

21 hours ago
Student-made cooking show arrives on campus

Student-made cooking show arrives on campus

22 hours ago
CASA Encore raises an impressive $450K

CASA Encore raises an impressive $450K

22 hours ago
UM students vote: Presley vs. Reeves

UM students vote: Presley vs. Reeves

22 hours ago

Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube
Mississippi Press Association

Sign up for The Morning Briefing, our newsletter with the top news of the day.

SUBSCRIBE

  • News
  • Sports
  • Arts & Culture
  • Opinion
  • Print / e-Editions
  • Advertise
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Policy
    • Classifieds
  • Contact

All Rights Reserved to S. Gale Denley Student Media Center 2019

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Sports
  • Arts & Culture
  • Opinion
  • Print / e-Editions
  • Advertise
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Policy
    • Classifieds
  • Contact

All Rights Reserved to S. Gale Denley Student Media Center 2019

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
-
00:00
00:00

Queue

Update Required Flash plugin
-
00:00
00:00