Perceived Risk of Fentanyl Use Among US Adolescents

To what extent do US adolescents attribute great risk to fentanyl use?In this cross-sectional survey study of 3820 students in the 8th, 10th, and 12th grades, the majority (52.2%) of 8th-grade students did not attribute great risk to experimental use (1 or 2 times) and 33.5% did not attribute great risk to regular use. These percentages were significantly greater for older adolescents, although in the 12th grade 30.2% did not attribute great risk to experimental use and 15.2% did not attribute great risk to regular use.Results of this study suggest that there is a need to inform adolescents about the lethal dangers of fentanyl use.

Corresponding Author: Richard Miech, PhD, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, 426 Thompson, Ann Arbor, MI 48104 (ramiech@umich.edu).

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