A schoolwide drug awareness assembly was held today over Zoom in order to inform students about the potential risks of drugs including fentanyl, nicotine and cannabis.

“It’s important to have these kinds of assemblies since it’s informative,” sophomore Aischelle Baun said. “It stresses the message of how dangerous these drugs are.” 

According to a data report from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, 92% of teens in Los Angeles County who died from overdosing in 2021 had fentanyl in their system. Last year, 15-year-old Melanie Ramos overdosed on fentanyl and died in a bathroom at Bernstein High School. Due to this case and many more fentanyl casualties, Melanie’s Law (SB-10) was passed on Oct. 13 to protect and save the lives of students across California. 

“It’s concerning to see an increase in overdosing with people,” sophomore Sarina Falahaty said. “I think it should be discussed more and there should be some way to help prevent it effectively.” 

Melanie’s Law will require all middle schools and high schools in California to have a structured plan on how to prevent fentanyl overdoses on campus. This would include properly training educators on how to respond to an overdose and providing various resources to parents and students on this subject. This new law will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2024.

“I don’t think people realize that just a tiny amount of this dangerous drug could lead to death,” Baun said. “That’s what’s scary to think about.”