Overview

• National research cited by the New England Journal of Medicine reports teen opioid overdose deaths have more than doubled in recent years.
• Alameda County recorded an age-adjusted overdose mortality rate of 21.29 per 100,000 in 2023, a 60.8% increase from 2022.
• The CDC attributes 69% of 2023 overdose deaths to synthetic opioids, primarily illicit fentanyl and its analogs.
• Educators and counselors describe teens turning to opioids to cope with stress, trauma, and mental health struggles, with access frequently coming from leftover prescriptions, peers, diversion, or sports injury networks.
• Dublin Unified has instituted mandatory freshman health classes and peer-led initiatives such as TUPE and NCAPDA, with county behavioral health expanding harm-reduction and low-barrier treatment backed by earlier settlement funding.