DR. WALLACE: I'm the single parent of a teenage son. We get along well, but I'll admit I've been pretty "hands off" in terms of disciplining him and making up a lot of rules he has to follow.

His father has been out of the picture for over six years now and doesn't ever contact either one of us these days. So, my son has only me as a parent and daily role model.

He's never gotten in any trouble at all, but he does have a tendency to stay out late with his friends from time to time. However, he's never given me any reason to believe that he's been doing any underage drinking or taking any illegal substances.

However, the other day he came home late and went straight to bed as he said he was tired from a long study session with his classmates. When I went in to wake him up in the morning, he was fast asleep on his bed, still in the clothes he was wearing the previous evening. His backpack was laying on the floor with one book partially popping out of it, and a small baggie of a couple of pills was lying right next to the book.

When I asked him about it the next morning, he explained that he got the pills from his classmates and they were just some harmless caffeine pills that all the kids used to stay awake.

I of course have heard the news about fentanyl and worry about that every day. Should I have a longer discussion with my son about all of this, or should I just not worry and not pester him for simply taking harmless caffeine pills? — A Worried Single Mother, via email

A WORRIED SINGLE MOTHER: You don't know for sure what is in those pills! You should absolutely speak with him immediately about taking any pill, ever, that he doesn't know the direct source of origin about. This basically means that unless you take him to a pharmacy and get a legal, valid prescription filled, everything short of that should be considered suspect and potentially lethal.

Have this conversation with him immediately. To help you and other parents and teens who will read today's column, here is a recent release from the United States Drug Enforcement Agency.

The DEA recently revealed that 6 out of 10 fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills now contain a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl. If your son wishes to use caffeine pills, then the two of you should discuss the pros and cons of using them in the first place. Then, if you do indeed decide to allow him to use them, the two of you should go together and purchase them from a reputable pharmacy. It's crucial that you stress to him that he should not consume any pill given to him secondhand by anyone, even a close friend. Not knowing the original source of a pill or tablet can be a recipe for disaster.

Please read this most sobering release from the DEA:

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is alerting the public of a sharp nationwide increase in the lethality of fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills.

The DEA Laboratory has found that, of the fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills analyzed in 2022, six out of ten now contain a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl.

"More than half of the fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills being trafficked in communities across the country now contain a potentially deadly dose of fentanyl. This marks a dramatic increase - from four out of ten to six out of ten - in the number of pills that can kill," said Administrator Anne Milgram. "These pills are being mass-produced by the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco Cartel in Mexico. Never take a pill that wasn't prescribed directly to you. Never take a pill from a friend. Never take a pill bought on social media. Just one pill is dangerous and one pill can kill."

Last year, the DEA issued a Public Safely Alert on the widespread drug trafficking of fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills in American communities. These pills are largely made by two Mexican drug cartels, the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco (CJNG) Cartel, to look identical to real prescription medications, including OxyContin, Percocet, and Xanax, and they are often deadly. In 2021, the DEA seized more than 20.4 million fake prescription pills. Earlier this year, the DEA conducted a nationwide operational surge to target the trafficking of fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills and, in just over three months, seized 10.2 million fake pills in all 50 states. Through its One Pill Can Kill campaign, the DEA is working to alert the American public of the dangers of fake prescription pills.

Fentanyl remains the deadliest drug threat facing this country. It is a highly addictive synthetic opioid that is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine.

Just two milligrams of fentanyl, the small amount that fits on the tip of a pencil, is considered a potentially deadly dose. According to the CDC, 107,622 Americans died of drug poisoning in 2021, with 66 percent of those deaths involving synthetic opioids like fentanyl. The Sinaloa Cartel and Jalisco Cartel in Mexico, using chemicals largely sourced from China, are primarily responsible for the vast majority of the fentanyl that is being trafficked in communities across the United States.

For more information on the dangers of fentanyl, please visit Fentanyl Awareness (dea.gov.)

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at rwallace@thegreatestgift.com. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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