‘It Seems Powerful’: Three Claremont High School Freshmen Teach Other Students About the Dangers of Fentanyl

A group of local Claremont High School freshmen help their peers educate about the dangers of fentanyl.

The trio, Anika Barley, Rhys Branchau and Maelea Silao, have been studying fentanyl for a school project for several months. On Wednesday, they were able to present what they had learned to other students.

“From 1999 to 2011, the death rate in the United States due to opioid overdoses almost quadrupled,” Silao said, addressing a group of about 10 teenagers gathered around their dining room table.

Silao explained that the project is assigned every year. The students first had to choose their groups and then come up with a proposal describing what drug they would like to study and how they planned to do it. For Silao, Barley and Brancheau, the decision came easily.

“Fentanyl was our top choice,” Silao said. “Because of how much of an impact he’s currently having.”

In June 2022, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors declared a public health emergency due to the large amount of illegal fentanyl flooding San Diego.

According to the Department of Justice, San Diego County has become the national epicenter of fentanyl trafficking, with nearly 60% of all fentanyl seized in the country at the US-Mexico border. It became the leading cause of death for young San Diegan residents.

This is exactly what this appointment hopes to prevent.

The group had a triple poster with informational descriptions as well as pictures of what fentanyl pills might look like and graphics showing how urgent the problem had become. They also had a booklet that showed two identical pills, such as Xanax, and then the participants had to guess which one was laced with fentanyl. The thing is, there is no way to really know.

“It feels powerful as I bring such a dangerous and deadly topic to light,” Silao said. “And to be able to bring attention to it so I can protect my friends and my family and just the people around me.”

At 14, Silao is wiser than the average freshmen. She understands the damage fentanyl does to the body and says it’s just scary and sad.

The three teenagers also created an interactive online tool to help educate the community on how fentanyl interacts with different parts of the body depending on how it is ingested. For example, the effects of a swallowed fentanyl tablet on the heart, lungs, brain, and intestines are shown.

“Now it’s just good that this project is over and all the awareness and information is available to everyone. It’s just nice that now people know and that I’ve had an impact,” Silao said.

A powerful blow that could save a life.

Watch NBC’s Poison Pill 7: San Diego County’s Battle Against Fentanyl

NBC 7 decided to dig deeper beyond the headlines and statistics to understand how and why this fentanyl emergency unfolded in San Diego County, the impact of the crisis on our communities and finally what work needs to be done to combat the what is called an epidemic.

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