3 Students Recovering After Fentanyl Overdose In Santa Monica

SANTA MONICA, CA — Three teenage girls were recovering after overdosing on fentanyl on May 24, the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District said Friday.

Three girls overdosed in a Santa Monica apartment after they snorted crushed-up tablets they believed to be ecstasy but that turned out to be laced with fentanyl and at least one other still-unidentified "psychoactive" substance, county health officials said Tuesday.

The unidentified girls, who were Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District students, were recovering, Superintendent Ben Drati said Friday in an email to the district community. No further details about the students were released.

The teens "purchased blue circular tablets that were reportedly ecstasy from an online dealer," then crushed and snorted the tablets, causing them to lose consciousness, the Los Angelers County Department of Public Health said in a statement Tuesday.

"This incident highlights the growing national and local trend of illicit drugs and counterfeit pills being contaminated with illegally manufactured fentanyl and other stimulant contaminants with toxicity impacting multiple organ systems, including the heart and brain, that can lead to life- threatening complications," the Department of Public Health said.

Schools across Los Angeles warned students and parents about teens buying drugs online that could be laced with fentanyl.

"With graduation parties, end of school year celebrations and summer break around the corner, ... we ask that you speak to your children about the risks of drugs," Drati said. "Research suggests that parents and other adults who show a non-judgmental stance, can make a difference as to whether or not the youth will engage in risky behavior."

Students and parents can find fentanyl test strips at this website.

City News Service contributed to this report.