I am posting the following story from a local newspaper just as a 'heads up' about the dangers of one particular drug, but I believe the message could be applied to all of them. This young man was just beginning his life...it is a shame he made a really bad choice, and ended that life so soon.
ASHEVILLE – Will Chapman had worried for his oldest son and had been asking family and friends if they would help him get the teenager’s attention and turn his life around.
The intervention group just didn’t come together in time, Chapman said Tuesday night as he gathered thoughts on what he will say to Matthew Chapman’s Erwin High classmates at a memorial service today.
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Matthew Chapman died in his sleep some time early Sunday morning. The 17-year-old had stolen patches of the powerful painkiller fentanyl and placed one on each arm earlier in the day.
“My son had no idea what he was dealing with,” Chapman said. “It’s got to be told. Other teenagers don’t need to be doing this.”
Emergency department physicians nationwide have been reporting a surge in deaths related to abuse of fentanyl, a drug 50 times more potent than heroin when taken intravenously, the federal Centers for Disease Control said in a 2007 report.
Federal agencies alarmed at the rise in the drug’s abuse through stolen patches also have reported increases in fentanyl-related deaths.
Chapman said he has been learning about the dangers of prescription drug abuse in the time since his son’s death. He had two boys.
Well-liked child
Matthew Chapman started having troubles last year, his sophomore year at Erwin, where he played center and defensive tackle on the football team.
The trouble started with a marijuana arrest, Chapman said.
“He started making bad choices — and it doesn’t take long,” he said. “I just couldn’t reach him.”
Chapman said he wants parents to hear his message of bringing a sense of urgency in trying to help teenage children having troubles. He also wants to warn other students of the dangers of prescription and other drug abuse.
The memorial service today will be for all students, Buncombe County Schools spokesman Stan Alleyne said. About 1,300 students are enrolled at Erwin.
Chris Brookshire, Erwin’s head football coach through this last season, described