Boy, 15, arrested in connection with overdose death at Hollywood high school

[ripcord]

Source: NBC News

A 15-year-old boy has been arrested in connection with the overdose death of a 15-year-old girl at a Los Angeles high school earlier this week, police said.

The boy was taken into custody on suspicion of manslaughter Thursday morning, two days after two 15-year-old girls had apparent overdoses at Helen Bernstein High School in the 1300 block of North Wilton Place in Hollywood Tuesday evening.

A student found in the bathroom died. The coroner’s office identified her as Melanie Ramos, NBC Los Angeles reported. The other girl survived and remains hospitalized.

Police said the girls purchased what they believed to be Percocet. Authorities suspect it was laced with fentanyl — a synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times stronger than heroin.

Read more: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna48037

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This is just sad all around.

[iluvtennis]

1. So, so sad.

[flying_wahini]

2. With Fentanyl ever present in pills passed hand to hand off market it seems a shame to punish

the kid who sold it to them with manslaughter. Most certainly he will be punished. However,
unless he was actually formulating the drugs then the person they need to catch is the guy he got them from, sounds like he is helping the police.
Many young lives lost.

[Skittles]

4. what is the point of adding fentanyl to pills

it seems odd to want to kill your customers

[flying_wahini]

5. They add fentanyl to 'blanks' inert substance and put it into pill or capsule form.

Fentanyl is cheap to produce and a little tiny dose goes a very long way. Most of the people buying pills don’t get what they think they bought. Most kids don’t know what it’s supposed to look like so they take it without questions.

We used to give it to end stage cancer patients when I worked hospice, even then we used patches to administer it because give too much too fast will kill patients.

[robbob]

10. And it's such a powerful drug that it's almost impossible to mix it into an inert substance

and not leave a possibility that one dose will be weak while another will kill. I don’t understand why a product is manufactured with such a high potency. I believe a baby aspirin sized amount of pure fentanyl has enough potency to kill a dozen people or more. Why does it need to be distributed in this form?

Of course, I know very little about the chemistry, manufacturing, or distributing of prescription drugs.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

12. It's not a "product" in any standard sense. Highest potency is easiest to smuggle

Like OP points out, 50 times potency. That means smuggling a kilo (2.2 pounds for provincials) is worth about the same as smuggling 50 kilos (110 pounds) but is much easier.

[ripcord]

6. I think a manslaughter charge is appropriate

If you are selling hard drugs on a high school campus and someone dies because of it you deserve a manslaughter charge. It is a classic case of reckless indifference.

[Archae]

3. The dope makers are making fentanyl look like candy.

Why, I really don't know.

[imavoter]

13. I saw this story on the news.

Yes, bright colored and
looked like sweet tarts
or skittles ish.

Did the kid really know
what he was selling or the consequences.
Probably not fully.

No one wins here except the drug lords.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

7. These charges are such shit.

[MichMan]

8. What charges do you think are appropriate for someone who sold drugs that killed someone?

A 15 year old is dead and another is hospitalized

[JoeTheRat]

11. Sad, because there's so many of these people involved.

[Evolve Dammit]

14. I just did Jury Duty for 4 months and fentanyl played a part in a significant number of cases,

some of which resulted in death. In one case, the free sample killed a first-time user. It eclipses meth and heroin at present, although those came up frequently as well. It is a very serious national problem, not only the user but for all the subsequent crimes committed to others. Many ruined lives; families, friends, victims. Heart-breakingly depressing 4 months.