MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A bill was passed in Alabama to remember the sudden death of a young man. Starting this fall, teens will be taught how to stay safe around illegal drugs.
When Price Hornsby was 17, he took a pill that was mixed with fentanyl and died in 2021. He was a student at Auburn High School.
Now, the Price Hornsby Act says that middle and high school kids in Alabama must learn about the risks of fentanyl and drug poisoning. The research-based lessons will start in the next school year.
State Rep. Joe Lovvorn (R-Auburn) was one of the first people to help. Hornsby’s death was one of the last calls he got at work. Since then, his family has tried to make people more aware so that other people don’t have to go through the same terrible thing.
“Being a dad myself, I wanted to see if they would let his name be linked to this,” Lovvorn said. “It made them very happy.”
Nicole Shine is in charge of running READY, which stands for Resources, Education, and Advocacy for Drug-Free Youth. She said that drug sellers put fentanyl in a lot of different things, like candy and ADHD medicine.
“What if a student is caught stealing candy?” Shine said. “Knowing what’s out there is important for everyone, not just the schools.”
Shine also said that parents should talk to their kids about drug safety all the time.
