Monica Vera Schubert, a CVS pharmacist and USC adjunct professor, said she warned UCLA repeatedly about her son’s struggles with substance use. After two non-fatal overdoses in campus housing, she said she urged the university to take action, but nothing changed. She knew the risks all too well. Fentanyl was a growing threat.
“They have Narcan on Skid Row, but not in dorms,” Monica said. “How does that make sense?”
Last spring, Bobby Schubert, a 29-year-old UCLA student, died in his dorm room after overdosing on Xanax laced with fentanyl, his mother said. Narcan, which can reverse the effects of opioid overdoses, was not in the building.
Annenberg Media contacted UCLA multiple times for a statement and received no response.
National fentanyl deaths have declined by over 30% in 2024 compared to 2023. California saw a 21.3% drop. A dose as tiny as two milligrams — equivalent to five grains of salt — can be lethal. For many users, survival depends on luck, knowledge or the availability of Narcan.
In Los Angeles County, fentanyl drives 64% of accidental overdose deaths involving alcohol or other drugs. While the California National Guard seized over 1,000 pounds of illicit fentanyl in early 2025, the crisis lingers in vulnerable communities, including college campuses.
Overdose deaths among students aged 18 to 24 surged 34% between 2018 and 2022. In 2019, at USC, three Trojans died from fentanyl in just 17 days. Even as national teen drug use remained stable, adolescent fentanyl overdoses have tripled since 2019.
In January 2023, California’s Campus Opioid Safety Act required public universities to provide free Narcan.
UCLA has the Narcan Distribution Project, and the naloxone sprays can be picked up at various locations throughout campus, such as The Center at Strathmore and the Fielding School of Public Health.
Similarly, USC has NaloxoneSC, which provides free Naloxone and fentanyl test strips at USC student health centers. The program distributed 320 kits in 2022.
Yet, a national survey found fewer than 15% of U.S. college students know how to administer the drug.
The availability of Narcan is a step forward, but the cost remains a barrier for students who don’t have access to free distribution programs or don’t know how to use them.
“It’s still about $40. That’s really cost-prohibitive for a lot of people,” said Caitilin Molina, a project manager for drug checking in Los Angeles.
Schubert said UCLA promised a policy review, and then went silent.
“Your RAs aren’t CPR-trained. There’s no Narcan in dormitories. Help me understand how this is acceptable,” she said.
Her concerns reflect a broader tension between student safety and the image universities aim to project. Many institutions remain hesitant to implement harm-reduction strategies that could appear to acknowledge a substance use issue on campus.
“Parents that are walking through with prospective students, they don’t want it to seem as if they have a problem on their campus with overdoses,” said Christina Freibott, PhD in health services and Policy Research at Boston University School of Public Health.
Some colleges cite privacy laws to withhold overdose data. When Schubert requested her son’s police report, she said she was denied.
“Bobby never turned his back on anybody,” she said. “The university turned its back on him.”
In January, a new law, AB 461, went into effect, adding fentanyl test strips to the list of requirements. These small paper strips allow drug users to test their supply for the presence of fentanyl.
“They’re taking a study aid. They think they’re taking an Adderall that they borrowed from a friend,” said Freibott. In these cases, students may be unsure where the pill came from or what’s in it.
“Counterfeit pills, fake Xanax, and Adderall are a universal threat. Drug checking is legal here; students should use it,” said Molina.
The risk extends beyond campus borders. Counterfeit medications laced with fentanyl are increasingly being sold in tourist-friendly pharmacies across northern Mexico, posing a deadly danger to unsuspecting buyers.
“I told him, ‘Bobby, you know this could have fentanyl in it,‘” Monica recalled. “He replied, ‘Mom, I’m getting it from a pharmacy in Mexico. It’s safe.”
The rising popularity of medical tourism, with many Americans seeking more affordable healthcare options, alongside the sharp decline in opioid prescriptions in the U.S., has created a dangerous environment where fentanyl-laced counterfeit pills are further fueling the opioid epidemic.
However, Freibott shared that many students are making efforts on their campuses to emphasize the importance of Narcan access.
Freibott, in her research, found that more than two-thirds of young adults report they are willing to intervene during an overdose scenario. They just need the education and resources to do so.
“There’s unfortunately a lot of misinformation around fentanyl,” said Molina. She said some people may avoid helping during an overdose because they’re scared of touching fentanyl, even though the drug cannot easily be absorbed through the skin.
College culture itself, with its mix of experimentation, peer pressure and newfound freedom, creates unique risks that demand tailored solutions, like accessible drug-testing services and widespread Narcan training.
Monica Schubert said she wants all California universities, from community colleges to elite private institutions, to mandate accessible Narcan.
Bobby was pursuing a minor focused on pre-med psychiatry, wanting to help those struggling with Substance Use Disorder.
“Bobby’s life had meaning. If his story saves just one person, that’s how I’ll remember him – as my son who mattered,” said Schubert