DELAWARE, Ohio — The drug overdose epidemic continues to be on the rise. 

What You Need To Know

  • According to the CDC, fatal overdoses peaked above 112,000 deaths for the first time in the nation’s history

  • The HOSA ‘future health professionals’ club at Olentangy Berlin High School is trying to raise awareness to the dangers of drug abuse

  • The club has been around at the school since 2019

According to the CDC, in 2023, fatal overdoses peaked above 112,000 deaths for the first time in the nation’s history — with young people and people of color the hardest hit.

But a group of teenagers are trying to change that.

"The next day someone is gone, and we're not doing anything about it,” said Raheed Zaman.

Sixteen year old Zaman is a student at Olentangy Berlin High School.

He's part of the HOSA ‘future health professionals’ club at school. They focus on drug abuse, spreading messages in the halls, on social media, and through PSA videos. 

It's something Zaman is passionate about. 

"It really gets on our nerves,” he said, “that when we're not becoming the best, or we're not the top of our game. I've seen friends that have fallen victim to this type of stuff, and it's made me have sleepless nights, and it's made me ponder like, 'What is the core of the issue?' And I've learned through social media that it's the awareness that's a problem."

UCLA Health reports, about 22 high schoolers died from overdose deaths each week in 2022, driven by fentanyl-laced prescription pills. 

"Maybe peer pressure is there,” said Zaman. “Maybe it's a mental health crisis, but they're trying something new and it's like they're realizing that something like drugs is easy to turn to and they're realizing that maybe if I try this, it'll be good for me."

But as long as Zaman's around, he's hoping to see change. 

"One pill can kill. That's the motto,” he said. “And it hurts. It truly pulls the heartstrings. But like, that's exactly why we're doing this, is to stop that from happening in the future."

HOSA's ‘future health professionals’ club at Olentangy Berlin High School has been around since 2019.