Fentanyl-Related Substance Use Patterns, Morbidity, and Mortality Among Adolescents and Young Adults: Implications for Behavioral Health Services Research.

This commentary discusses best practices for responding to fentanyl-related overdose deaths in adolescents and young adults, and it outlines the current state of knowledge about them. Various types of approaches to fentanyl-related overdoses in this age group may need to be developed based on the different risk factors that are emerging from the existing data. We describe the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) behavioral health services research priorities connected with fentanyl-related overdoses in youth. We highlight a key target for intervention and discuss research opportunities related to early intervention with youth with identifiable risk factors. NIDA's research agenda is a means of assisting communities that experience fentanyl-related overdoses by providing scientific information that can be translated into clear recommendations for public action.