“Have you ever done any drugs, such as cocaine or fentanyl?” I pause, struggling to process what was just asked of me. There’s no way I just got asked that. I must have gone insane! Did a doctor at Engemann Student Health Center really just ask me if I do hard drugs? Surely not! 

Contrary to my delusions, she had in fact asked me about my drug use. Moving from Hawai‘i to California came with a lot of culture shocks, including how drugs are perceived here. While marijuana is only legally accessible through medical cannabis dispensaries, a lot of people smoke recreationally in Hawai‘i.

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In comparison, California has laws that legalize marijuana both medicinally and recreationally. California is also in the middle of an opioid crisis. According to the California Department of Public Health, approximately 6,000 deaths in 2021 were related to opioid overdoses; in 2022, fentanyl was identified to be the drug most responsible for accidental drug overdose deaths in Los Angeles County.

It never occurred to me that there would be resources on campus related to opioid use. I thought I would be fine since I don’t do drugs. However, I realized someone I care about might partake and end up overdosing. I wasn’t entirely sure who to turn to regarding this issue, nor was I aware of what drug-related resources USC offered. It was only through writing this article that I discovered NaloxoneSC and Team Awareness Combating Overdose, which both actively educate others about drug behavior and distribute potentially life-saving fentanyl test strips and medications. 

NaloxoneSC is an organization for the students, by the students. Under the American Association of Psychiatric Pharmacists, NaloxoneSC provides students with Narcan and fentanyl test strips, as well as different outreach events. Dr. David Dadiomov, NaloxoneSC’s faculty advisor and clinical assistant professor of pharmacy practice at the Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, expresses how essential accessibility is in addressing the opioid crisis.

“We felt that no student on campus should be without resources to help reverse an opioid overdose, or at least be knowledgeable to help prevent an opioid overdose should they choose to consume substances,” Dadiomov said. 

Since its creation, NaloxoneSC has supplied up to hundreds of Naloxone kits to the student body. As demand grows for these kits, NaloxoneSC has had to order more, increasing up to 1,000 kits most recently. NaloxoneSC currently distributes these kits through a fishbowl method, where anyone can go to the Engemann and Cohen Student Health Centers and take as many as they need.

“We’re going through 500 Naloxone kits in a month, and it takes time to apply, wait for the supply to come, [and then] physically walk to the Student Health Center,” Shannon De Leon, a third-year graduate student at Mann and president of AAPP USC, said.

TACO, like NaloxoneSC, also distributes Narcan and hosts educational events for students and faculty to attend. Srehith Sannareddy, a junior majoring in health promotion and disease prevention studies as well as human biology and TACO’s chief of finance, explained why TACO’s mission is incredibly important to him.

”I realized how much of an impact [TACO was] making on the community through overdose prevention and through giving students supplies,” Sannareddy said. “The TACO USC chapter continues its efforts to spread awareness and harm reduction tools within the USC community.”

To spread awareness, TACO USC typically hosts general body meetings, where members learn more about specific drugs. 

“One week, we’ll talk about fentanyl; in another week, we’ll talk about Adderall,” Sannareddy said. “There’s a lot of drugs that are important for students to know and understand.”

TACO USC also hosts stands on Hoover Street and the Row on Tuesdays and Fridays, respectively, sponsors Narcan trainings held in USC’s fraternity and sorority houses and advertises various other events through their Instagram, @taco.usc.

It’s unfortunate these amazing programs aren’t talked about in an official capacity; while some students may know of these organizations, others who have just entered USC or who are studying in non-pharmaceutical-related majors may not know about what they do to serve USC. Both TACO USC and NaloxoneSC have saved lives through their active involvement in educating others, Narcan and fentanyl test strip distribution centers, and their strong desires to support the USC community. You too can educate yourself about what you can do in the event of an overdose or how to get involved by reaching out to both TACO and NaxoloneSC’s resources if you’re interested.