It can’t be overstated: The only safe drug you can take is one that is prescribed for you and comes from a pharmacy, said Cathy Hazlett, substance use prevention & treatment program manager with Granville-Vance Public Health.

Hazlett will be the featured speaker at tonight’s community information series at Baskerville Funeral Home. The talk begins at 6 p.m. and is open to the public.

Hazlett was a guest on Tuesday’s TownTalk and discussed the science of addiction, street drugs and some tips for parents about how to help their children steer clear of potentially deadly situations involving illicit drugs.

Research has shown that teenaged brains are not fully developed, Hazlett said. Specifically, the frontal cortex – the part of the brain that is responsible for thinking about the consequences of actions, she said.

Teens’ brains are “biologically structured to take risks – that’s how they’re wired,” she said. So, when a young person wants to try something, and if that something has fentanyl in it, it can have deadly consequences.

Similarly, people who abuse drugs – even marijuana – undergo physical changes to their brain structure, she noted.

Addiction becomes a disease of the brain, she said. “That drug has taken over the brain,” and the addict no longer thinks logically when it comes to using drugs. The overuse of opioids quickly became a crisis because addiction can happen so quickly, Hazlett said.

Fentanyl – a potent synthetic opioid – is pervasive in counterfeit drugs that are sold on the street and people who buy drugs from dealers have no idea what they’re actually getting.

“There’s no guarantee that what you’re getting is going to be fentanyl free,” Hazlett said.

Warning people about the dangers of using illicit drugs is only part of the education piece that Hazlett shares in the community. Another part includes raising awareness about harm reduction – steps drug users and others can take to reduce the chance of an overdose.

Of course, the best outcome for drug users is to seek treatment and get into a recovery program, she said.

But if that is not an option, at least have Narcan nearby and don’t use alone, she said. There also are test strips available to determine if the drug you are getting ready to use has traces of fentanyl.

Although it can be scary to think about, parents should keep the lines of communication open with their children to steer them away from risky behaviors, often driven by peer pressure.

Hazlett suggests asking open-ended questions to encourage dialogue and avoid sounding judgmental.

“Come up with strategies to say ‘no’,” Hazlett said.

Both Granville County and Vance County will receive millions of dollars over the next 18 years from the multi-billion opioid settlement. Granville County currently has two projects – one that helps inmates in the county jail get treatment and stay clean after they’re released and another that has created a post-overdose response team that follows up on EMS calls that involve drug overdoses.

Vance County will hold a meeting at 4 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 16 to discuss options for projects. The meeting will be held in the county administration building.

One simple step anyone can take: make sure you store safely and properly dispose of any unused medication, whether prescription or over-the-counter. Some pharmacies will take unused or outdated medicines, and local police departments and sheriff’s offices have secure bins where you can take medicines.

Dispose of them in a safe manner, but please, not down the sink or flushed in the toilet. That just contributes to water contamination.

She’ll have some lockboxes with her at tonight’s meeting for people to use at home to store the medicines they are currently taking.

“Keeping medicines locked up is not a bad idea,” she said.

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