Many Adolescents Not Aware of Dangers of Fentanyl Use

WEDNESDAY, July 15, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- A considerable proportion of adolescents are not aware of the dangers of fentanyl use, according to a study published online July 7 in JAMA Network Open.Richard Miech, Ph.D., from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and colleagues presented U.S. nationally representative estimates of the perceived risk of fentanyl use among adolescents in a cross-sectional survey study of eighth-, 10th-, and 12th-grade students in 2025 who filled out surveys in class at school.Among 3,820 adolescents, 32.8, 34.7, and 32.5 percent self-reported their perceived risk of fentanyl use in eighth, 10th, and 12th grade, respectively. The researchers found that 47.8 percent of eighth-grade students attributed great risk to experimental use, while 57.2 and 66.5 percent attributed great risk to occasional and regular use, respectively. For 10th-grade students, 63.6, 71.5, and 77.3 percent attributed great risk to experimental use, occasional use, and regular use, respectively. Among 12th-grade students, 69.8, 78.5, and 84.8 percent attributed great risk to experimental use, occasional use, and regular use, respectively. The highest levels of perceived risk in eighth and 10th grade were seen for students in rural areas. The likelihood of ascribing great risk to fentanyl use in all grades across all three categories of use was highest for non-Hispanic White students. Hispanic students had the lowest levels of perceived risk for all three fentanyl categories in eighth grade, while non-Hispanic Black students had the lowest levels in 10th and 12th grade."Clinicians, parents, schools, and public education programs all have important roles in communicating the potentially life-threatening risks of fentanyl misuse to adolescents," the authors write.Abstract/Full Text.Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

Many Adolescents Not Aware of Dangers of Fentanyl Use

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