Fentanyl Education
Fentanyl Education and Prevention Resources
LWTech is committed to educating students on fentanyl, including intervention and overdose information. Welcome to our comprehensive resource on fentanyl education. Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that has been at the forefront of the opioid crisis due to its potency and potential for misuse. The goal is to provide students with essential information about fentanyl and the critical steps you can take to ensure safety.
This information also focuses on LWTech's responsibility to fulfill the requirements for revised code of washington (RCW) 28B.10.578, opioid and fentanyl prevention education.
What is Fentanyl
It is a synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. There are two types of fentanyl. One is a legal prescription opioid used to treat severe pain, especially after surgery and for advanced stage cancer. The second is illegally made Fentanyl, which is distributed through illegal drug markets for its heroin like effect. It is often added to other drugs because of its extreme potency, which makes drugs cheaper, more powerful, more addictive, and more dangerous. Illegally made Fentanyl is produced in different forms, including liquid and powder.
Powdered fentanyl looks just like many other drugs. It is commonly mixed with drugs like heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine and made into pills that are made to resemble other prescription opioids in its liquid form. Fentanyl can be found in nasal sprays, eyedrops and dropped onto paper or small candies, plain and simple. Fentanyl laced drugs are extremely dangerous.
Resource: Center for Disease Control
Naloxone for Overdoses
Naloxone is a life-saving medication that can reverse an overdose from opioids—including heroin, fentanyl, and prescription opioid medications—when given in time. Naloxone is easy to use and small to carry. There are two forms of naloxone that anyone can use without medical training or authorization: pre-filled nasal spray and injectable.
Naloxone is available in the following locations
- Wellness Center (East Building, E116)
- Campus Public Safety (East Building, E145)
- Registration and Enrollment Center (West Building, W201)
- Health and Wellness Vending machine (East Building/Espresso Stand)
How Naloxone Works
Naloxone quickly reverses an overdose by blocking the effects of opioids. It can restore normal breathing within 2 to 3 minutes in a person whose breath has slowed, or even stopped, as a result of opioid overdose. Start by administering one dose of naloxone and wait 2-3 minutes to see if normal breathing returns before giving a second dose. Giving more than one dose of naloxone may not be necessary.
Naloxone won't harm someone if they're overdosing on drugs other than opioids, so it's always best to use it if you think someone is overdosing.
If you give someone naloxone, stay with them until emergency help arrives. Call 911, and call Campus Public Safety at (425) 739-8224 or on any campus phone at 8224.
Good Samaritan Law
As part of Washington State's support of responders, anyone who administers naloxone is protected by the good Samaritan Law, "where a person acting in good faith who seeks medical assistance for someone experiencing a drug-related overdose shall not be charged or prosecuted for possession of a controlled substance."
LWTech's Resources
Free, on campus and online counseling is available for all enrolled students. Learn more from the LWTech counseling webpage. Online counseling is available 24 hours a day for 7 days a week.
LWTech's Wellness Center focuses on campus activities that promote wellness. Fentanyl education includes the following activities for all LWTech students
- National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week, March 17 through 23, 2025
- National Drug Take Back Day, April 26, 2025
- Fentanyl Awareness Day, April 29, 2025
Activity information will be listed on the LWTech Students Instagram and on LWTech's calendar of events.