# Maylia and Jack: A Story of Teens and Fentanyl **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 18, 2025, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maylia-and-jack-a-story-of-teens-and-fentanyl/1025829 "2025-12-18T15:28:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![lilybug0309](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lilybug0309/32/20349_2.png) [@lilybug0309](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lilybug0309)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2025, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maylia-and-jack-a-story-of-teens-and-fentanyl/1025829/1 "2025-12-18T15:28:22Z")
I just read this article about these two kids, Maylia was arrested and Jack died from an overdose of the drug that was given to him by Maylia. What are your opinions on this story? What do you agree with and/or disagree with? > **[Maylia and Jack: A Story of Teens and Fentanyl](https://www.propublica.org/article/teens-fentanyl-percocet-green-bay-wisconsin-maylia-sotelo-jack-mcdonough)** > > Police knew she was selling fake Percocet but did not stop her. His mother sought the right treatment for his addiction but could not find it. Two teens got caught up in a system unprepared to handle kids on either side of the drug trade. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2025, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maylia-and-jack-a-story-of-teens-and-fentanyl/1025829/2 "2025-12-18T16:02:24Z")
It does show the complicated reality of the situation. “The lure of easy money, it’s got a very strong appeal.” Nothing ever changes, does it? Ten years in prison sounds like a lot, but she’ll be what 25, 26? Hardly anything at all. Maybe she can turn her life around, maybe she’ll go back to dealing. Jack will still be dead, though. If he were my kid, I’d want her in prison for life. But that wouldn’t solve the problem. Maybe drug dealers should try to not kill their customers. I don’t know. It does make me scared, too. Green Bay! If nice Wisconsin can have that, what does my own Mesa, AZ neighborhood have going on? I know there were drugs in my High School, way back in the 70s. (not fentanyl, of course, and probably not even coke, nor heroin) I’ve often wondered, “where did they get them? What was going on that I missed? Were my friends dealers?” ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2025, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maylia-and-jack-a-story-of-teens-and-fentanyl/1025829/3 "2025-12-18T16:33:00Z")
The two obvious things that stand out for me… - All the god-awful, heart breaking, things described in that article are entirely caused by the fact drugs are illegal not the drugs themselves. Without the war on drugs there would be no fentanyl crisis, that is entirely the result of the economics of importing illegal drugs into the US - It’s a travesty that the prosecution gets to decide if a child should be tried as an adult. That goes against the basic principles of the adversarial justice system. I can understand the argument that a 15 year old who shoots someone understands what they are doing. But how the hell can you say a 15 year old understands the repercussions of selling an illegal drug just as much an adult, when at the same time saying they aren’t able to understand the repercussions of buying a legal drug because they are underage. It’s madness. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2025, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maylia-and-jack-a-story-of-teens-and-fentanyl/1025829/4 "2025-12-18T19:02:20Z")
[Moderating] The OP isn’t really Pit-ish. I’m moving this to IMHO, instead. [/Moderating] ---
**Author:** ![lilybug0309](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lilybug0309/32/20349_2.png) [@lilybug0309](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lilybug0309)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2025, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maylia-and-jack-a-story-of-teens-and-fentanyl/1025829/5 "2025-12-20T20:38:58Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > “where did they get them? What was going on that I missed? Were my friends dealers?” lots of people have these wonders, but I think these days, teen drug dealers are at their peak because of how many families were involved in it. Most people become friends with somebody and are peer pressured into doing drugs. Once you have that one hit you began to long for that same high you got the first time. ---
**Author:** ![Coriolanus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coriolanus/32/18769_2.png) [@Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coriolanus)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2025, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maylia-and-jack-a-story-of-teens-and-fentanyl/1025829/6 "2025-12-21T04:13:38Z")
Golly. Percocet. Helped me in the hospital to ease the gall bladder pain and sleep, yet I’d never seek it “on the street”. Didn’t even know it was available. Glad I’m no longer doing “street drugs,” though I had good dealers way back, yet Fentanyl is scary. ---
**Author:** ![lilybug0309](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lilybug0309/32/20349_2.png) [@lilybug0309](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lilybug0309)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2025, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maylia-and-jack-a-story-of-teens-and-fentanyl/1025829/7 "2025-12-22T04:07:38Z")
> [@Coriolanus](#): > > Fentanyl is scary. I got caught selling a vape one time at school and they were going to give me a distribution charge because they thought it was laced with fentanyl. It wasn’t thank goodness, but it was still scary thinking of it. ---
**Author:** ![Coriolanus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coriolanus/32/18769_2.png) [@Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coriolanus)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2025, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maylia-and-jack-a-story-of-teens-and-fentanyl/1025829/8 "2025-12-22T04:52:22Z")
That’s the thing about femtayl. As far as dealing it in a vape, it’s either not going to be enough, and the buyer will feel ripped off, or the buyer will tell the cops where he got it in the hospital. I hope they didn’t tell you "confess and we’ll go easy on you. That stuff is hard to detect. Out of curiosity, what does a school vape seller get sentenced to? Detention? 3 month program? ---
**Author:** ![lilybug0309](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lilybug0309/32/20349_2.png) [@lilybug0309](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lilybug0309)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2025, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maylia-and-jack-a-story-of-teens-and-fentanyl/1025829/9 "2025-12-22T04:56:38Z")
> [@Coriolanus](#): > > Out of curiosity, what does a school vape seller get sentenced to? Detention? 3 month program? Typically, first offence is a $250 dollar fine and 5 day of out school suspension with a 60 day class. 2nd offense is a $325 dollar fine and court, it typically goes up 75 dollars each fine after ur 2nd offense with court of course. I have 6 offenses and my last fine was $750, although I got caught with possession of another drug once and it was only a $20 dollar fine and 3 day iss (in school suspension), but I don’t agree with this because the drug could have stopped a kids heart instantly if they took one too many. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2025, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maylia-and-jack-a-story-of-teens-and-fentanyl/1025829/10 "2025-12-22T14:28:39Z")
> [@Coriolanus](#): > > As far as dealing it in a vape, it’s either not going to be enough, and the buyer will feel ripped off, or the buyer will tell the cops where he got it in the hospital. My understanding is it gets added to a whole bunch of other non-opiod drugs so you can sell utterly crap cocaine or whatever but it will still get you high because of the (hopefully\*) small amount of fentanyl mixed in. Whether kids getting marijuana vape canisters laced with is it is a thing, I don’t know. Sounds like an urban myth to me. I would have thought vape canisters would only be produced by legal marijuana vendors, who clearly aren’t lacing their stuff with fentanyl. And is crappy weed even still a thing in this day and age of legalized marijuana? I would have thought getting good high quality weed is way way easier and less risky than getting crap low quality weed and mixing it with fentanyl. ‘\*’ - this being the key point actually mixing a small enough amount not to kill you but enough to get you high is tricky and a random drug dealer in a basement is not a pharmaceutical company ---
**Author:** ![Meatwater](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meatwater/32/20074_2.png) [@Meatwater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatwater)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2025, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maylia-and-jack-a-story-of-teens-and-fentanyl/1025829/11 "2025-12-28T18:38:14Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > If nice Wisconsin can have that, what does my own Mesa, AZ neighborhood have going on? [Mesa, AZ](https://americanaddictioncenters.org/blog/substance-abuse-by-city) makes it in the top 10 list for highest drug use in almost every category. Which is why there is always people acting strange on the sidewalk at all hours of the day/night. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2025, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maylia-and-jack-a-story-of-teens-and-fentanyl/1025829/12 "2025-12-28T19:15:28Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > My understanding is it gets added to a whole bunch of other non-opiod drugs so you can sell utterly crap cocaine or whatever but it will still get you high because of the (hopefully\*) small amount of fentanyl mixed in. That’s the story, at least, but I’ve never bought it (the story, that is, though I don’t think I’ve ever bought fentanyl, either). Drug dealers cutting their drugs with something inert to make more profit? Yeah, I’m sure that happens. But killing off your customers is a poor way to make money, and if they had fentanyl, why not just sell it as fentanyl? I suspect that it’s not nearly as common as it’s made out to be, just because it’s a conveniently-scary boogieman, and that there are far more doses of meth, crack, heroin, and other more “conventional” drugs out on the street. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2025, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maylia-and-jack-a-story-of-teens-and-fentanyl/1025829/13 "2025-12-28T19:27:57Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Drug dealers cutting their drugs with something inert to make more profit? Yeah, I’m sure that happens. But killing off your customers is a poor way to make money, and if they had fentanyl, why not just sell it as fentanyl? But cocaine, ecstasy, etc have always been cut with active ingredients that are not “what it says on the tin”, to try and make heavily cut crappy drugs do _something_, so the customer doesn’t feel ripped off. And some of those were definitely dangerous, even back in the day. This is just more dangerous but also more cost effective. People who actually want to buy fentanyl is a fairly small customer base (just a subset of opioid users). So it makes sense to me. Again the whole thing is just a product of the economics of the illegal drug trade. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2025, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maylia-and-jack-a-story-of-teens-and-fentanyl/1025829/14 "2025-12-28T20:02:28Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > But killing off your customers is a poor way to make money Also remember a lot of people use cocaine, speed, ecstasy, etc. It not like it’s a coin toss between a buzz and lethal dose. We hear about all the cases where they screwed up and killed someone, not about all the cases where someone got a “smacky” high from a crappy pill or line, but otherwise had an uneventful night. I said “by random drug dealer in a basement”. But actually the illegal drugs trade means it’s no longer a random drugs dealer. It’s an experienced professional in basement rented by a highly funded criminal syndicate. They know full well it’s not good business to kill too many of your customers. Hell, they probably have a spreadsheet of how many customers they can afford to kill before it affects the bottom line ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2025, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maylia-and-jack-a-story-of-teens-and-fentanyl/1025829/15 "2025-12-28T20:47:12Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > I said “by random drug dealer in a basement”. But actually the illegal drugs trade means it’s no longer a random drugs dealer. It’s an experienced professional in basement rented by a highly funded criminal syndicate. At the higher rungs, maybe. I suspect that the bottom rung of drug dealers has an extremely high turnover as they get arrested or killed and new desperate low-lives take over. They’re probably considered disposable by the syndicates. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2025, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maylia-and-jack-a-story-of-teens-and-fentanyl/1025829/16 "2025-12-28T21:05:03Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > At the higher rungs, maybe. I suspect that the bottom rung of drug dealers has an extremely high turnover as they get arrested or killed Yup and that’s entirely the result of the war on drugs. Above a certain level the semi-amateur stoner who just likes getting high and making a bit of cash, but doesn’t want to hurt anyone, has been entirely replaced by professional criminals working for huge international criminal syndicates.