Published: 07/7/2026 | Author: Eric Owens

California is adding fentanyl education to the lesson plan. Under a state law, public school districts, along with charter and private schools that offer health classes, must teach students about the dangers of fentanyl. Educators plan to begin the curriculum in the 2026-2027 school year. 

Students in California have witnessed family members and loved ones fall victim to opioids. While The Golden State certainly boasts impressive range of inpatient programs and local Narcotics Anonymous chapters to combat opioids on the community level, the crisis continues. Now, education courses are the clearest signs yet that schools are treating the opioid crisis as a public health issue that education can help address.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that’s among the deadliest street drugs. Authorities have increasingly found fentanyl mixed in counterfeit pills and other drugs. For families who’ve lost someone, and for people in recovery from opioid addiction, classroom education represents a shift toward prevention.

A New Tool Against the Opioid Crisis

The measure, Assembly Bill 2429, originated in 2024 by Assemblymember David Alvarez of San Diego with an implementation date for Fall 2026. It directs schools to teach students several concrete, potentially life-saving skills, including:

• The risks of fentanyl and its lethal and addictive properties
• How to obtain and use fentanyl test strips
• How to recognize an overdose and use the overdose-reversal medication naloxone, often sold under the brand name Narcan
• How to tell whether other drugs may be laced with fentanyl

Currently, the bill has no waiver for students to opt out, though officials have noted that could change.

Education Matters for Families

The push is personal for many parents. Karrie Gonzales has said her son Erik developed an opioid use disorder after a high school knee injury led to him being overprescribed opioids during his sophomore year. He died in June 2020 at age 21 after taking a fentanyl-laced pill. 

Indeed, Ms. Gonzales has pointed out that counterfeit pills are often sold through social media apps. Digital technology has put pills within reach of young people who may not understand what they are taking.

Harm Reduction and Treatment

Education is one piece of a larger response that includes harm reduction and treatment. As cities make progress against opioids, officials and community members hope that more aggressive measures will save more lives.

Naloxone can rapidly reverse an opioid overdose if given in time, and fentanyl test strips let a person check whether a substance contains fentanyl. Widening access to both is a core harm reduction strategy, including on BART transit and even prisons, and teaching young people how to use them can save lives.

For folks with an opioid use disorder, medication for opioid use disorder using buprenorphine, methadone, or naltrexone also works. This evidence-based treatment is often paired with counseling and peer support. 

Peer support groups, including Narcotics Anonymous, help many people of all ages in recovery, and they can work alongside medication rather than in place of it.

Starting with NA

If you or someone you love is affected by opioid use, you can search for NA meetings via our directory. We have verified NA chapters listed for all 50 states. 

Or, feel free to call 800-934-1582(Sponsored) to speak to an expert about medication for opioid use disorder and where you can pick up naloxone at local community programs.