His son overdosed. Now he’s sounding the alarm on fentanyl
- CDC: Teen overdose deaths have doubled in the past three years
- David Magee thinks counterfeit pills are part of the problem
- Magee, who lost a son to addiction: ‘Help works’
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(NewsNation) — The fentanyl crisis has hit teenagers hard. In the past three years, teen overdose deaths have doubled in the U.S. with many sources pointing to fentanyl as the leading cause, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
David Magee understands the importance of talking about the dangers of fentanyl and drugs with children. He lost one of his sons to an overdose and nearly lost a second.
“When teens are dying in the numbers they’re dying at today, we have to sound an alarm across the country to parents, educators, churches, stakeholders in the student ecosystem to say: What do we need to do about this? How do we reach them?” Magee told NewsNation anchor Elizabeth Vargas.
From 2010 to 2021, the number of adolescent deaths from black-market fentanyl and related synthetics rose from 38 to 884, according to data released last year in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Magee thinks counterfeit pills are a major part of the problem.
“If they’re buying it from a drug dealer or a fellow student, it’s counterfeit and usually it has fentanyl in it,” Magee said. “So, they don’t even know they’re seeking fentanyl.”
He added: “Drug dealers are already operating in schools, selling marijuana to 12- and 13-year-olds. It’s those dealers often that are also selling these pills, and they call them by name, but that’s not what they are.”
Magee is urging parents to have honest conversations with their children about the dangers of drugs.
“The number one advice I give to parents, and I learned this the hard way, is talk to your students with open-ended questions, talk to your teenager with open-ended questions. Don’t be telling them how they should feel and what they should do or make assumptions, ask them open-ended questions. In time, you’ll get answers that maybe they don’t even know,” Magee said.
Magee’s second piece of advice is to talk about the reality that people should not take pills that aren’t prescribed to them.
“The risk is too high. The deaths are soaring, but I’m seeing a lot of what I call ‘The Walking Dead’ where they’re on drugs and I’ll see students trying to white knuckle their way out of it because we don’t have the education and support system in place that they even know what they’re dealing with,” Magee said.
That’s something Magee wants to change in memory of his son.
“My sweet William, he was an honors college student. He was a track athlete at Ole Miss. He thought he could quit and walk away. Soon after graduation, he was getting treatment and making progress, but he died of an accidental overdose,” Magee said.
“But, I tell everybody, ‘Don’t feel sorry for us’ because we have another son who nearly died, Hudson. He is now 11 years sober,” he said. “Help works.”
Magee now leads the William Magee Institute for Student Wellbeing at the University of Mississippi, which conducts research and develops strategies to educate students, families and communities on living healthy lifestyles.
People or families of individuals facing mental and/or substance use disorders are encouraged to call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration helpline at 800-662-HELP (4357). The hotline is free, confidential, and provides treatment referral and information service 24/7, 365 days a year. The administration also welcomes people to visit their online treatment location or send their zip code via text message to 435748 to find help.