Overdose deaths among teenagers in the United States are a significant public health concern. The majority of overdose deaths among teenagers are caused by prescription and illicit opioids, although other drugs such as stimulants and benzodiazepines also contribute to overdose deaths in this age group.
A teenage girl was found dead of a suspected overdose in a Starbucks bathroom.
As per reports, the 16-year-old Gwynevere was found unresponsive in the bathroom of a Starbucks by customers.
According to the police department, the teen couldn’t be revived by emergency responders. When she was found by customers she had a small amount of drugs and paraphernalia beside her.
Gwynevere’s mother, Veronica, says she “completely suspects” that her daughter died from an overdose of fentanyl. Her official cause of death has yet to be determined.
“My best friend, my daughter, my sweetheart baby … I will never stop missing you,” the mother wrote on Facebook. “My heart won’t stop breaking.”
According to Veronica, Gwynevere had been struggling with substance abuse for some time. Prior to her death, she told her mother she had stopped using for three weeks.
“I’ve quit, so I’m OK now, Mom,” Veronica recalled Gwynevere saying. “It was calling out her name, and so she thought, ‘One more time.’ The one more time was the very last time.”
Veronica says she looked into putting Gwynevere into rehab, but the wait lists for public clinics are too long and she could not afford a private clinic.
“If I don’t have $50,000 available, then they are not something I can use as a resource,” she said.
“The whole world is missing out on a born entertainer,” Veronica continued. “Either that, or a future politician.”
Veronica says she wants to see more done to get drug dealers off the streets and to provide rehabilitation to those in need.