Early October brought a somber evening when parents thronged the school theater

for one hour of panel discussion on substance abuse and especially fentanyl. Mr.

Ed Ternan who lost a college son to an innocent-looking pill drove the message

home: as a parent, you have to be aware. The meeting was well-timed as Bill just

finished reading a book on the history of opium.

Its low cost and dosage have made fentanyl the killer, Mr. Ternan said. Unlike

plant-based opiods which depend on the the lengthy process of cultivation and

distillation of poppies, fentanyl is synthesized in labs from cheap raw materials.

As a result, it has flooded the illegal drug markets. Popular recreational drugs

including heroin, cocaine, and marijuana can be doctored with fentanyl to

increase their appeal to addicts. It is so potent, however, that a tiny extra

amount can lead to overdose and for drug-makers (who don't want to kill their

customers), it is just hard to control product quality. Out of one million pills

mass-produced, a 0.1 percent defect rate could kill 100 people.

Mr. Ternan said little on the source of the lethal agent except that it was

mainly from Mexico with raw materials from China. It sounded ironic that opium

has been banned in the atavistic east Asian state, known for its barbarous

totalitarianism, since 1950s and Bill grew up knowing nothing about

narcotics and meanwhile, the clever free West has kept inventing life-saving

anesthetics along with one crisis after another.

For many reasons people drug themselves. There is a culture here where people

don't seem scared or ashamed of taking a pill or a drink to feel good.

Stories such as happiness and success are flames bright enough to draw aspiring

devotees from all over and make them do whatever. Counter-examples such as

Sebastian Junger refusing depression drugs (because the depression was HIS) are

rare. Bill could not afford to be oblivious and felt good about being informed.

That night, "Do not accept any food or drink, e.g., at a party, if you are not

sure of its source." was the message he brought back to his son.

Under peer pressure, the teenager has already started experiments with energy

drinks such as Gatorade and caffeinated products such as Liquid IV, and G Fuel.

It was only a small relief that the kid was open about it. He wouldn't take

coffee, however, which Bill offered instead. The boy of course wanted to be with

his friends, Bill understood without being told. This was how the new generation

was to separate and trying to control would be futile and make things worse. All

he could do is to keep on good terms with his son, try to set an example, stay

alert, and hope to influence.