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Texas Against Fentanyl speaker urges schools to expand Narcan access and fentanyl education
Summary
Mike Land of Texas Against Fentanyl described his organization’s outreach, cited statistics on fentanyl’s potency and new derivatives, and said Texas has enacted school fentanyl-education requirements and enhanced criminal penalties for distributing fentanyl.
Mike Land, a speaker with Texas Against Fentanyl, described losing his son and then organizing statewide outreach, school visits and awareness campaigns aimed at preventing fentanyl-related deaths. "By sharing our children's story we are saving lives," Land said.
Land described a multi-pronged approach his group promotes: classroom education for grades 6–12, wider access to naloxone (Narcan) in schools, and public-awareness efforts to counter social-media distribution networks. He said Texas has passed measures requiring fentanyl education for middle and high school students and has enacted tougher criminal penalties for intentionally providing fentanyl.
Speaking about drug trends, Land said fentanyl is substantially more potent than heroin or morphine and is commonly found in counterfeit pills, vapes and other products. He cited examples including a school SRO (school resource officer) finding a vape pen that contained fentanyl and an incident in Austin he said involved dozens of overdoses over several days.
Land emphasized that minute doses can be lethal—he described 2 milligrams as a dangerous amount and said his son had an estimated 12 milligrams in his system, which he said caused death in about 72 seconds—statements he presented as his organization’s collected cases and autopsy summaries. He also warned about newly circulating fentanyl-like compounds he called "nines," and said local prosecutors have begun charging cases involving those derivatives.
On harm reduction, Land said naloxone is saving lives but that school logistics—large campuses and response times—mean the medication needs to be more widely available and more rapidly deployable. "By the time a nurse gets across campus, it's too late," he said, urging universal classroom access in some proposals.
Land urged parents, teachers and students to remain vigilant, to use refusal strategies with peers and to support school-based prevention and naloxone access. The moderator thanked Land and the Teran family for speaking and closed the segment by encouraging continued outreach in schools and the community.
