Dear Parents and Guardians,
The Putnam County Prevention Council has been working on ways to increase education about drugs and spring break. Due to the increase in substance related medical emergencies including overdoses and deaths among teens and young adults in the region and nationally, please watch the attached five-minute video presentation with your children and read the flyer about heroin and overdose concerns.
The West Point Cadets, who purchased cocaine unknowingly laced with fentanyl on their spring break and were hospitalized, is the most recent well publicized example of talented students making unhealthy decisions possibly because of a lack of information. Most students are not aware that the extremely high concentrations of THC in marijuana and extremely high concentrations of nicotine in vape products have resulted in several students in the County being taken to emergency rooms for significant gastrointestinal, cardiac, respiratory, and psychiatric symptoms. In addition, the increased prevalence in the Hudson Valley and NY Metropolitan area, of fentanyl being added to marijuana, cocaine, heroin and other opioids, and “look a-like” pills such as Xanax has resulted in accidental overdoses and the need for hospitalization.
We are concerned that during spring break, Juniors and Seniors will have increased contact with college students or high school students they don’t know and will have more exposure to and greater access to these dangerous drugs. A brief reminder of the current local and national situation and information about acute effects of drugs including overdose might prevent your students or their siblings from experiencing serious consequences.
video link: https://youtu.be/f6-uxjrSGpY
We wish you a safe and happy spring break!
Sandra Sepe
File attachments:
Spring Break 2022.pdf