LAUSD issues warning after 3 students ingest ecstasy pills laced with fentanyl

LAUSD issues alert on fentanyl-laced pills

The Los Angeles Unified School District issued a warning about pills laced with fentanyl.

LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Unified School District issued a health alert after three students ingested fentanyl-laced drugs that were purchased online.

According to officials, the students thought they were buying ecstasy.

On Wednesday, a letter from the district’s medical director was sent out to LAUSD families. The letter said in part:

"Three adolescents in Los Angeles County ingested these drugs and suffered neurological consequences. The pills were purchased online and raise significant concern for the growing trend of contaminated illicit drugs and overdoses in Los Angeles County.

We encourage you to have discussions with your child about making healthy choices and about the dangers of ingesting any illicit drugs especially as we enter into end-of-year celebrations and the summer."

LAUSD officials did not reveal how old the students are or if the drugs were taken on campus grounds.

Last week, three teenage girls overdosed at an apartment in Santa Monica after they reportedly purchased pills online that were sold as ecstasy.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in 2021, overdose deaths involving opioids increased by nearly 40% compared to the year prior. In addition, the LA County Department of Public Health said fentanyl-related overdoses have skyrocketed since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.