Summary
A Congressional hearing on fentanyl brought some of the Biden administration's key drug officials together to examine how to address what is now the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18 to 45. Lisa Desjardins has more on the testimony and efforts to tackle the crisis. For a transcript of the story, click here . News wrap alternative : Check out the latest segments from the NewsHour, and choose the story you’re most interested in watching! You can make a Google doc copy of our Five Facts and discussion questions that work for any of the stories here.Five Facts
- How many people in the U.S. die from fentanyl overdoses every year?
- Why is the Senate conducting a hearing on fentanyl now?
- What are some of the goals of the hearing?
- How is fentanyl entering the United States?
- Who is interviewed toward the end of this story, and what is his background?
Focus Questions
After listening to this story, what do you think is the top action the U.S. government could take to help reduce overdoses from fentanyl? Media literacy : Is it clear from this story what plans the Senate might have to reduce fentanyl and other opioid deaths? How could you find out more? See, Think, Wonder: What did you notice? What did the story make you think? What story would you want to find out more about? Where would you go to learn more?For More
What students can do : While fentanyl is a serious and important topic, there can also be a lot of misinformation about its dangers and spread. Just this past year, rumors spread ahead of Halloween that fentanyl was being mixed with Halloween candy. See this lesson to learn how to spot disinformation about opioids online . Or you can watch the MediaWise video the lesson is based on below.STUDENT VIDEO OF THE DAY
"Rainbow fentanyl: Are drug dealers really targeting kids on Halloween?" via MediaWise
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