Horribly sad. Although we don't yet know the specifics the odds are quite strong this tragedy is the direct result of drug prohibition, which puts drug users at much greater risk since they have no way of knowing for certain what they are taking. The Voice's own accompanying photo suggests the issue is "fentanyl-laced pills," which means illegally-produced pills of unknown provenance and purity. Quite possibly, the victim thought he or she was taking something else, such as MDMA or some other relatively safe substance.

The best way to keep kids and everyone else safe it to decriminalize everything so recreational drugs are -- like the much more dangerous alcohol, with ~50,000 killed/year -- legal and regulated. That way, when people take them off-label or recreationally at least they can calculate their dosage appropriately and virtually eliminate the risk of serious harm or death.