Student Collapses After Using Fentanyl-Laced Vape In New York School

A terrifying incident involving a fentanyl-laced vape has prompted urgent warnings from school officials in Upstate New York. The Coxsackie-Athens School District is alerting parents after a student at another area school collapsed in a hallway and required life-saving doses of NARCAN. It was from a single hit on a marijuana vape pen that turned out to be contaminated with fentanyl.

The student survived, but only after receiving multiple doses of NARCAN and emergency medical attention before being transported to a hospital. Authorities later confirmed the vape was purchased not from a licensed dispensary, but from an unlicensed convenience store, illegally selling marijuana products to underage buyers.

What Parents Need to Know

• Fentanyl is deadly in even trace amounts and is being found in more than just pills and edibles.

• Students may think vapes are safer than gummies or pills, but illicit vapes can be just as dangerous.

• This particular vape was purchased from a convenience store not authorized to sell marijuana products, making it completely unregulated and potentially lethal.

What Schools Are Doing

The Coxsackie-Athens School District has NARCAN and AED machines in every building, and staff are trained to respond to overdoses. But prevention starts at home.

What You Can Do

The district is asking parents to:

• Talk to children immediately about the dangers of vaping, especially products not purchased from licensed dispensaries.

• Reinforce the risk that even one inhalation from a vape could be fatal if it’s laced with fentanyl.

• Stay informed and involved in your child’s social life and habits, even if you believe they wouldn’t engage in substance use.

Read More: Some Students Are Exempt From New York’s School Phone Ban

This incident is a sobering reminder that the dangers facing today’s students are not always visible, and a single bad choice or a moment of peer pressure could lead to tragedy.