JEPPDX
@jeppdx.bsky.social
150 followers 300 following 260 posts
Youth advocate & educator. Data & Ops. Be kind, look for the helpers. ISO trout. PNW. 143
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jeppdx.bsky.social
2020 brought skyrocketing overdose & poisoning deaths from fentanyl. Adolescents were especially impacted due to naivety about fentanyl & fake pills. Our young adults are leading the way down, but there's more work to do.

Help bend the curve.

Visit songforcharlie.org and thenewdrugtalk.org
jeppdx.bsky.social
I’m proud to be part of this amazing team at Song for Charlie, whose programs highlight the emerging dangers of self-medication and casual drug use in the fentanyl era and encourage healthier strategies for coping with stress.
www.songforcharlie.org/page/sfc-our...
Our Team
www.songforcharlie.org
jeppdx.bsky.social
This is great. Thanks for posting. Both studies described in this are among reams of research with to-date vastly untapped potential. We have to invest in better and more accessible treatment, but without upstream efforts we’ll never materially bend the curve. 1/4 of 18-25 y.o. with SUD is insane.
jeppdx.bsky.social
Paradise on Mt. Hood. I think out and back on the PCT from Timberline lodge is about 10 miles. Huckleberries, wildflowers, glacial runoff, meadows
Reposted by JEPPDX
marybethoconnor.bsky.social
Emotional regulation, coping strategies, refusal techniques and resilience are tools that help youth navigate pressure/stress without turning to substances. Prevention isn’t just about avoiding harm; it’s about filling lives with meaning, purpose & pride.
www.thenationalcouncil.org/substance-us...
Prevention Isn’t What It Used to Be, and That’s Progress
Substance use prevention has changed. Gone are the days of simplistic school assemblies that failed to address real-world challenges.
www.thenationalcouncil.org
jeppdx.bsky.social
👍. And education/supports for those w genetic risk.
jeppdx.bsky.social
I agree wholeheartedly that a singular supply focus won’t do it. However, the authors’ focus is on only trtmnt & hr to reduce demand while primary prevention is completely ignored. Believing that the number who enter harmful use in the 1st place is unchangeable or not worth changing is flawed.
jeppdx.bsky.social
For the fentanyl-focused crowd...
jeppdx.bsky.social
Per CDC data, leading causes of U.S. death for 2024 for those under age 50. In total, drugs are far ahead of cancer and nearly twice as high as guns in total, suicide, homicide, car accidents, etc. But different leaders at single ages.

Reducing preventable deaths requires policy change.
jeppdx.bsky.social
There are many reasonable arguments against the Law. Your fiction is not one of them. Class 2's are not being rescheduled to Class 1.
As in "shall nonetheless not be treated as a (frs) subject to this schedule if the substance.. is otherwise expressly listed in a schedule other than this schedule.”
jeppdx.bsky.social
You seem set in your beliefs. Good luck to you. Let me know when you talk to a doctor or any of every single hospital in the country that plans on changing their use of fentanyl because of this law. It doesn’t apply.
jeppdx.bsky.social
No, this law applies to “fentanyl related substances.” What is used in hospitals, etc is not affected. www.congress.gov/bill/119th-c...
www.congress.gov
jeppdx.bsky.social
Rx fentanyl is not affected.
jeppdx.bsky.social
Real sugar in coke is next most obvious move.
jeppdx.bsky.social
OR has been captured by the false myth that “treating harmful substance use & addiction as a health issue” only means bettering the justice system while settling for unmitigated substance use. We can & should aim to reduce youth initiation, w/o which we fail.
www.thelundreport.org/content/trio...
Trio of bills aims to address Oregon's failure to equip kids with needed tools against drugs
Young Oregonians experience more substance use disorder and fatal overdoses than their counterparts in almost any other state. Officials haven't enforced the law requiring kids get science-based preve...
www.thelundreport.org
jeppdx.bsky.social
Today, the state of Oregon that spends only 2% of $1B substance spend on preventing use & addiction, with near highest adolescent substance use rates in the U.S., with 1/3 of young adults <25 needing treatment and only 15% receiving it…..finally woke up to the need for primary prevention. 👏👏👏
jeppdx.bsky.social
Need so much more data collected on fatal and non-fatal overdose to be able to isolate causes on the user side! Injury data collection just not designed to be diagnostic. Harder, but I’m sure more is possible.
jeppdx.bsky.social
Long overdue in Oregon: an upstream focus to prevent/delay/reduce drug use & addiction, focused on youth.

OR has some of the worst youth rates of use, SUD, perception of harm, & mental health challenges in the U.S…fueling the crisis and causing massive harm.

www.thelundreport.org/content/lawm...
Lawmakers poised to give Oregon a strategy to prevent drug use, addiction, especially in young people
A bill being considered by budget writers would mark a crucial step forward in a state struggling to tackle the drug crisis, supporters say
www.thelundreport.org
jeppdx.bsky.social
The full piece from @brianmannadk.bsky.social on youth drug mortality; a fantastic & hopeful read. More research needed to isolate what works & support w policy.

Slowing initiation w evidence-based primary prvntn & awareness/ed could be most effective & efficient. (3/3) www.npr.org/2025/06/10/n...
Drug deaths plummet among young Americans as fentanyl carnage eases
U.S. drug deaths dropped by roughly 40% last year among people under the age of 35. It's a welcome pivot for families and communities devastated by fentanyl.
www.npr.org
jeppdx.bsky.social
Amazing job by @brianmannadk.bsky.social reporting on youth drug deaths.

Age 20-24 broke the mold, beat fentanyl, returned to 10 yrs prior. Teens coming down, room to go, upstream mitigations needed.

We need more answers on "how". Inside these data lie insights that will save lives. (1/3)
jeppdx.bsky.social
Great job, great goal! That sounds hard.
jeppdx.bsky.social
Great news, but ridiculous we don’t know…and we may cut things that work.

“…changes in illicit drug supply + greater access to treatment + naloxone to seemed to be playing a role, but whether the country could sustain that progress was an open question.”

www.nytimes.com/2025/05/14/h...
jeppdx.bsky.social
It was indeed a remarkable year amidst a decades long tragedy, far from done.
Reposted by JEPPDX
opb.org
OPB @opb.org · May 14
High-potency cannabis use among Oregon’s adolescents is putting them at risk of psychosis and other mental health problems, according to mental health and addiction experts who want the state to adopt policies that will curb underage use.
Addiction experts raise alarm about cannabis use among Oregon’s youth
High-potency cannabis use among Oregon’s adolescents is putting them at risk of psychosis and other mental health problems, according to mental health and addiction experts who want the state to adopt policies that will curb underage use.
www.opb.org