Drugs killed 8 friends, one by one, in a tragedy seen across the U.S.

 

There is no single explanation for the run of deaths. Each teen seemed to follow his own path to substance use, propelled by trauma, depression, boredom, hopelessness or poor self-esteem — lost to the easy availability of drugs and a susceptibility to addiction.

The dead are nearly all boys and nearly all White. Eight were good friends, or friends of friends, a typical crowd that coalesced by eighth grade at St. Peter Catholic School, or early in one of two public high schools. They were a few years apart in age, but connected in some way. They palled around, spent nights at each other’s homes, played ball together.

When drugs took over their lives, some accumulated criminal records, mostly for charges such as possession and driving under the influence, the kinds of offenses that accompany substance use disorder.  https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/interactive/2022/drug-overdose-deaths-fentanyl-greenville-nc/?wpisrc=nl_most&carta-url=https%3A%2F%2Fs2.washingtonpost.com%2Fcar-ln-tr%2F387870e%2F638a32179d88976ba3487c63%2F59741f459bbc0f1cdcfbb98e%2F8%2F72%2F638a32179d88976ba3487c63&wp_cu=efec7a623306c363fca84fa3c84531db%7CC0DBC26B59552BC4E0430100007FBD4A