And, as far as we know, the student willingly took the drugs. He wasn’t forced (again as far as we know). He made a very tragic decision, but I don’t personally see how the university is responsible for his decision.
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How are they culpable? Kids can leave campus, you know. It’s not like people are just walking onto campus with a sign saying they’re dealing laced drugs. How on earth is the university responsible for a student going out and getting drugs and taking them when in his dorm? So if a student gets pregnant while in a dorm room, the university is responsible for that, too?
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I have heard that even adderall purchased off the street can be laced with fentanyl. Kids who think they’re helping themselves cram for a test can end up dead instead. The drug world is VERY different than it was even 10 years ago. So very sad for this boy and his family.
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Note that the talk about drug overdose comes from statements by the family. Police and coroner have not announced anything about the cause of death.
The above linked page says that the student was a member of the Zeta Psi fraternity, which is listed as a derecognized chapter at Find A Chapter - Student Leadership & Engagement due to “Repeated risk management violations, fire and life safety violations, and non-compliance with prior sanctions”.
Perhaps pedantic, but seems strange to me that his mother is referred to as former YouTube “executive”. She was in fact the CEO of YouTube for 9 (?) years.
Yes, Susan Wojcicki is sister to Anne Wojcicki, cofounder and CEO of 23 and me, and ex-wife of Sergey Brin…co-founder of Google, which owns YouTube.
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This kid is from a family with deep and long connections to the government and the defense industry, and whose wealth is immense. The incident may not be as it seems. I have no intel on this unfortunate boy, but there are many organizations in the world who target family members, and fentanyl’s potency/size is easy to slip into anything. Just another angle…
Student rumor is at least one previous stint in rehab prior to Berkeley. Again, RUMOR, not confirmed, although the family was quick to assume drug overdose prior to any autopsy/toxicology. It seems that a history of drug use is not unlikely so I wouldn’t assume anything beyond what it currently appears to be.
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I am shocked that a campus the size of UC Berkeley does not have Narcan readily avaliable in many different spots. Even my high school has it near every fire extinguisher and AED in case it is ever needed.
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Narcan is easily available at UC Berkeley as is training to use it. However, the student was reportedly alone at the time. Even if there had been narcan nearby, there was no one there to administer it.
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I see. Very unfortunate situation. 
In 2022, two Ohio State students allegedly died after buying what they thought was adderall: Officials Warn of Fake Adderall Pills After Two College Students Die - The New York Times
From the Columbus Dispatch: Autopsy reports confirm Ohio State students died of fentanyl overdoses
There is also xylazine - and narcan doesn’t work to reverse an overdose on that one: What You Should Know About Xylazine | Drug Overdose | CDC Injury Center
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Obtuse question…why do kids buy adderall? Is it a high they get, or does it really help them get better grades or do more work?
Also, are these schools requiring so much from students that they have to take uppers/etc to get all the work done? Serious question. TIA
It’s to focus on something and to stay awake. Very common especially during finals from what I understand.
No, it’s usually more just bad time management on the part of the student trying to cram a semester worth of learning in one night.
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I remember when I was a grad student at Berkeley this was HUGE among undergrads. Not just common, but extremely so. Not sure about now, though. That was 10+ years ago.
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Well, my son has an Rx for Adderall since he has ADHD. It helps him focus if he has a big written exam that requires a lot of synthesis. But kids without a diagnosis still want it—to cram, to stay up, to focus intensely for a short period of time.
It is an ADHD drug, so some students (not necessarily diagnosed with ADHD) may believe it helps them focus while studying. Since it is an amphetamine, it can also be used recreationally like other (illegal) amphetamines.
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People dying from fentanyl-laced marijuana is likely a myth. The heat at which marijuana burns is too low to burn fentanyl, so even if there is fentanyl tere, it won’t be consumed. Any Fentanyl on the leaves will simply fall down with the ashes from the burnt marijuana leaves.
On the other hand, you can have fentanyl-laced edibles. However, there are many legal Cannabis products and so many vetted and reputable sellers, and marijuana user will be unlikely to continue buying their pot if their pot affects them like an opioid.
Avoiding buying and using edibles from unknown sources is a really good idea, since you never know what it in it. Hell, it may have fallen on somebody’s filthy floor a few times. I wouldn’t eat a plain cookie that had been bouncing around and I had no idea who baked it and in what conditions, and how it was kept since it was baked.
So buying marijuana from a reputable source is always a good idea.
My mom was a hippie and she taught us to never consume a cookie, brownie, or sugar cube at a party. To this day, I am suspicious of brownies!
In college, one time I was at a party and I ate a slice of watermelon. I was actually suspicious of some other foods at this party, but since I saw the watermelon whole and then it was cut up in front of me, it didn’t occur to me that it might have drugs in it. Turned out someone had spiked it with LSD. Oh well.
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