Farah Khorassani, associate clinical professor of clinical pharmacy practice, explained the science of addiction at the Laguna Beach Fentanyl Town Hall on Oct. 2. At the event – hosted by California Assembly member Diane R. Dixon to help educate the public about this crisis – Khorassani described how fentanyl binds to the opioid receptors in the brain, producing a euphoric effect. “As the brain adapts to repeated usage, higher doses are needed to achieve that same feeling,” she said. “The dangers are in illicit forms, usually pressed into counterfeit pills. Only small amounts can lead to a fatality.” Orange County ranks third in the U.S. for overdose deaths among 14- to 18-year-olds. Other panelists included Sgt. Brian Gunsolley of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department; business owner and Orange County congressional candidate Scott Baugh, whose brother died of opioid-induced cardiac arrest; and Perla Mendoza, whose brother and son died of fentanyl overdoses.