The Fentanyl Crisis on College Campuses: Understanding the Need for Harm Reduction

Amidst the escalating fentanyl crisis, this thesis examines the threat of fentanyl on college campuses, the knowledge and perception of harm reduction, and the effectiveness of harm reduction strategies, focusing on the University of Oregon. This research highlights the urgent need for targeted interventions through a mixed-methods study incorporating surveys, a limited university policy review, and a limited media analysis. Despite a strong willingness among college students to carry naloxone due to community concerns and personal experiences with the crisis, there are significant barriers regarding access and knowledge. The prevalence of fentanyl in the local drug supply, paired with overdoses and fentanyl drug busts near campus, and the unique conditions putting college students at a heightened risk underscore the urgent need for comprehensive and targeted harm reduction programs. The study concludes with recommendations for universities to allocate funding and institutionalize harm reduction programs, specifically improve access to naloxone, and create educational campaigns.

Grantor dc:publisher

University of Oregon

Year dc:date.issued

2024

Author dc:creator

• Shrestha, Kavi

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Weaver, Jo

• Harm reduction
• Narcan
• naloxone
• Fentanyl
• College campus

Statement dc:rights

• CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Language dc:language.iso

en_US

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/1794/30005

OAI record oai:identifier

https://scholarsbank.uoregon.edu/server/oai/request?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=dim&identifier=oai%3Ascholarsbank.uoregon.edu%3A1794%2F30005