Van Nuys middle school drug overdose: Police rule out fentanyl consumption after 10 students transported to a hospital

Law enforcement officers have officially ruled out fentanyl consumption after ten students at Van Nuys Middle School were treated for potential overdoses on Thursday, December 1.

The Los Angeles Fire Department was called to Van Nuys Middle School in Sherman Oaks on reports of possible cannabis overdoses after ten students aged between 12 and 15 began exhibiting overdose symptoms during school hours. Officials said that after examining the students, they concluded that the pupils, who were treated for mild symptoms, had ingested unidentified edible cannabis.

Authorities added that seven students were sent to the hospital, while the remaining three were released after receiving treatment at the scene. In a statement, LAFD Captain Erik Scott clarified that the incident was not a “fentanyl-affiliated overdose." He said:

"So we had 10 patients that were evaluated, seven of which required transport to a local hospital. Is important to note they were in mild-to-moderate distress. This is not any sort of fentanyl-affiliated overdose."

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Van Nuys students were transported to the hospital after ingesting edible cannabis

On Thursday, December 1, the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to a possible overdose incident at Van Nuys Middle School in Sherman Oaks at around 10:30 am. Shortly after arriving at the scene, law enforcement personnel inferred that the students had adverse reactions to ingesting cannabis.

Officials did not identify the exact substance ingested by the students. However, they confirmed that the unknown substance was mild, and none of the students were administered Narcan, also known as naloxone, a medicine used to treat opioid overdoses, thus negating claims that it was a fentanyl-related incident.

Following the incident, Los Angeles Unified School District officials said:

"We take the health and safety of our students very seriously," according to a statement from a district representative."Every effort is made to ensure our students learn in a safe environment. Los Angeles Unified maintains an ongoing partnership with local health agencies, community partners and medical experts to provide training to school staff and education for our school communities."

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Why the country is concerned about the opioid crisis

The assurance that this was not an opioid-related incident was a welcome relief for parents at the school, as the country is in the midst of a disturbing new trend where a colorful pill of the opioid fentanyl, known as “rainbow fentanyl” is flooding the market.

As per the LA Times, Karla Rivera, the mother of a 12-year-old student at the Van Nuys school, had similar thoughts when she received a call about the medical emergency.

In August, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued a warning to the public to beware of the “rainbow fentanyl” pills coated in color, giving them the obvious appearance of candy. The pill is reportedly a potent threat to young people, who risk ingesting heavy doses of the drug by being deceived by its innocuous, colorful, candy-like appearance. It should be noted that the drug is extremely addictive and deadly, despite its rainbow hues.