Jenny Snarski
Catholic Herald Staff
The U.S. Department of Justice’s Drug Enforcement Agency’s annual Fentanyl Awareness Day is May 7. Hayward parishioner Mark Mantey offers his speaking services for groups wanting to bring greater awareness to their communities and empower adults to talk about the deadly drug.
According to Mantey, “The drug landscape is dramatically different from when you grew up, or even from just a few years ago. Fentanyl has turned drug experimentation into a minefield.”
Recent studies reveal only 40 percent of teens know fake pills are manufactured with fentanyl.
“As a community, loving parents, grandparents, caregivers, and educators, we play a major role in educating our young people about the risks of illicit fentanyl in this fight to save lives,” Mantey believes.
Two resources Mantey recommends are NaturalHigh.org and SongForCharlie.org. The Natural High website offers a “8 Must Have Conversations to have with your kids about drugs and alcohol” and a six-minute video on the dangers of fentanyl.
The conversation tips states that children whose parents talk with them openly and consistently on these topics are 50 percent less likely to use drugs and alcohol. They suggest regularly talking with kids and teens about brain development, friends and other influences, how to manage stress and anxiety, and how to find “natural highs” that engage and enrich more than entertain and distract.
Mantey is making himself available as a speaker. Contact him at .
