In response to the growing fentanyl crisis and its devastating impact on communities, Knox Substance Abuse Action Team announced a collaborative effort with RecoveryOhio and several Ohio state departments.

Their joint initiative aims to provide emergency naloxone access cabinets for independent colleges and universities throughout the state, including those in Knox County.

The move comes as fentanyl overdoses have become the leading cause of death among Americans aged 18-45.

“RecoveryOhio and the Ohio Departments of Higher Education, Mental Health and Addiction Services, and Health to provide emergency naloxone access cabinets for installation on independent college and university campuses across the state,” Knox Substance Abuse Action Team said on Facebook.

“Institutions of higher education will be receiving information about how to order emergency access cabinets and fentanyl test strips. Ohioans can order naloxone and fentanyl test strips to be delivered to their homes through the website naloxone.ohio.gov."

Knox County’s post-secondary student population includes more than 1,800 students attending Mount Vernon Nazarene University and 2,200 attending Kenyon College.

Fentanyl overdose has become the leading cause of death among Americans aged 18-45.

According to the DEA, fentanyl, an extremely potent and deadly drug, is responsible for nearly 70% of the 107,000+ drug overdose deaths in the past year, with her addressing its origin, characteristics, and distribution within the United States.

In 2022, two Ohio State University students lost their lives to fentanyl overdoses, prompting officials to issue warnings about the dangers of the drug.

At the time, the university cautioned about fake Adderall pills that were found to contain fentanyl, leading to an increase in overdoses and hospitalizations.

Ohio State University students are already actively engaged in on-campus drug prevention efforts, which involve distributing complimentary test strips.

Ohio recently made fentanyl such test strips legal which enable drugs to be tested for traces of fentanyl.

"It's been received a lot better than I even expected," Caroline Ginder, a fourth-year biology student, told NPR. "Everyone that I've ever talked to has known about fentanyl test strips.”