A “second version” of Los Alamos
The cost of silence, part 2
Story by Stephanie Nakhleh
Photos by Minesh Bacrania
Content warning:
This story discusses topics of substance use, addiction, overdose, self harm, and the dangers of counterfeit drugs, including fentanyl. These topics may be distressing to some readers. Please take care when reading.
In Part 1 of this series, we introduced the idea that Los Alamos teens are not immune from substance use. While the town has earned its reputation as a great place to raise kids in many respects, young people, police, addiction specialists, and others tell a story that they say many parents and town leaders either aren’t aware of or don’t want to hear. We heard stories about the pressures and challenges facing teens in this affluent, high-achieving town. Now, we delve deeper into what one young adult familiar with the local drug scene calls “the second version of Los Alamos” — a hidden world of parties, drugs, and danger that many parents and community leaders struggle to acknowledge.
Our guides to this shadowy side of Los Alamos are several young people who say they’re trying to extricate themselves from the local party scene but still have fresh memories and ongoing connections to those involved.
“It’s huge”: The scope of teen substance use
Hannah (not her real name), who grew up in White Rock, recalls becoming aware of drug use in Los Alamos about a decade ago, when she was a young teen. “Ever since I was, I want to say 15 or 16 years old, I knew that there was a drug situation going on in Los Alamos,” she said. “I wanted to be a part of it, because that’s where I was at the time. ... Every single person that I have talked to has gone into drugs, or is addicted, or wants to do more. It’s terrible.”
L.T., a young man who was introduced in the previous article, said his estimate of who is using is “probably more like 40-50%,” though he acknowledged this is also just a guess. “Like 20% of the kids are on hard shit,” he adds. “And most of them drink when they can.”
Sgt. Chris Ross, who leads the LAPD Community Liaison Unit, has his own observations to share as a longtime school resource officer at the high school. “We’re seeing the cocaine issue starting to take some more attention,” he said. “And we’re seeing the users of initial THC use transitioning into a little bit more of the harder drugs.” While he is concerned about the level of drug use among teens, Ross estimated substantially lower use than what these young people are reporting. He guessed that out of 100 kids using drugs, “eighty percent of them are THC and 20% cocaine.” However, he clarified that out of the entire student population, he believed “it’s probably between 20-30%” who are using drugs, with “probably maybe 50 to 75 [individuals] that are probably into the harder stuff.”
The 2021 Youth Risk and Resiliency Survey (YRRS) data aligns with Sgt. Ross and L.T.’s assessments, showing upwards of 20% of respondents self-reported drug use in the past year. (See Fig. 1, below.) Several young adults who know the local drug scene backed this up, describing a culture of substance use that’s more widespread than many adults in the community care to realize. They’re firsthand witnesses to teens using a wide range of substances, from marijuana and alcohol to harder drugs like cocaine and methamphetamine — sometimes in combination.
From booze and pot to fentanyl and meth
The range of substances that Los Alamos teens are using is extensive: powder cocaine, crack cocaine, alcohol, heroin, methamphetamine, and marijuana. This tracks what local law enforcement and addiction specialists report seeing. Dr. Leslie Hayes, an addiction specialist in Española, said that in the region, “methamphetamine has gone way up. And that’s showing up in the overdose death rate, that we’re seeing a lot more deaths that involve methamphetamine over the last 20 years.”
Several young people described scenarios where teens openly use THC cartridges, which adults often mistake for nicotine vapes. “Mostly everything we find has THC now,” said Jennifer Guy, superintendent of Los Alamos Public Schools. “That correlates with just the access to availability, and the fact that it’s legal, and so it’s just more readily available to students.”
The prevalence of vape cartridges purchased from drug dealers poses significant risks. In a 2022 incident at Rio Grande High School in Albuquerque, students were hospitalized from adulterated drugs, some in vape pens likely laced with fentanyl. One young person we spoke to confirmed this: “Now that weed is legal, [dealers] go to dispensaries, and they get stuff for all these kids,” she said. “Or even worse: they’re selling the illegal fake carts [cartridges] to these kids. Those fake carts have all types of, like, rat poison, weird vitamins, things they’re not supposed to be inhaling.”
Unintentionally or intentionally, people are using multiple drugs at the same time. Hayes said she’s noticed a big rise in poly-substance use: “Used to be if you had somebody who was a heroin user, they probably weren't going to be using stimulants,” she said. “It was never 100%, but people tended to use one [drug]. … They’re certainly seeing in the overdose deaths that people are much more likely to have multiple substances on board.” Teens echo this observation: “Honestly, people say that marijuana is the gateway drug — it’s not. It’s cocaine,” said an 18-year-old whom we’ll call “Grace.” (Not her real name.) She said drug use spills over into other stimulants as well as downers and hallucinogens: “All of it,” she said. “We were doing acid, and we were doing mushrooms, tripping every weekend.”
While these accounts are dire, it’s worth comparing them with the 2021 YRRS data for Los Alamos County (see Fig. 1 below), which shows somewhat lower rates of drug use for Los Alamos teens than state averages, except for alcohol. The discrepancy between official data and on-the-ground experiences shows how challenging it can be to assess the problem accurately.
The sociology of Los Alamos: secrets, affluence, and disconnection
The unique social dynamics of Los Alamos contribute significantly to the substance use issues among its youth. Interviewees point to several factors:
Parental disconnection: Ross said that parents are often unaware of these uses. “As a parent myself, it’s easy to get sidetracked with life,” he said. “But you still got to focus on what your job is: it’s to be a parent, raise your kids. And sometimes you see some parents just struggle with that.”
Affluence: “Los Alamos kids don’t do less drugs; it just goes unnoticed because of the lack of parental supervision,” said one young source. “In fact, some of the kids actually have more money for ‘better’ drugs.”
Secrets: The community has been trained to keep secrets, including shame-based secrets that probably should not be kept, such as mental-health and substance-use issues in the family. “Parents are unsure what to do when their youth is using substances,” said Rachel Mohr-Richards of the Juvenile Justice Advisory Board. “There’s a fear factor in folks who have a Q clearance at the Lab. They’re worried that, like, ‘My youth brought home drugs… What if they revoke my clearance?’ I think the Lab has been vocal about wanting to support people through issues like that.” (**Los Alamos National Laboratory provided a statement concurring with Mohr-Richards’ recollection; see the end of this piece for the full statement.)
Boredom: Every young person interviewed drew a clear connection between drug use and the lack of safe things to do in Los Alamos. “I was bored out of my mind,” said Grace. She said that boredom, combined with trauma from a bad home situation, drove her to use drugs — and added that this is a very common situation in Los Alamos: “Maybe it’s their home experience, maybe school, you’re getting bullied. You are looking for that connection that you don’t have with a person. So you’re finding that in drugs.”
Expectations: Everyone we’ve interviewed, from teens through police, therapists, parents, and schools, acknowledged the intense academic and social pressures that kids here face and that these pressures contribute to substance use as a coping mechanism. L.T. said, “I think there’s trauma from the school, especially because of how hard the school pushes their kids to work.” Grace agreed: “Because you live in Los Alamos, you have to be perfect, and that’s a very hard goal to live up to,” she said. “Most of the parents up here, they make so much money at the Labs. They have a very high clearance with the government, and they expect so much of their kids.”
Brandi Weiss, a Los Alamos native who recently completed her master’s degree in Sociology with a thesis on risk behaviors among Los Alamos teens, discovered a phenomenon she calls “behavioral masking,” where students engage in both risky and healthy behaviors simultaneously to cope with pressures while maintaining appearances. “We arrived at the conclusion [that] students in Los Alamos very well may be masking their behaviors because of the community standards and expectations that are placed upon them,” Weiss explained. “There’s very strong evidence that students in Los Alamos are purposefully doing these things so that they can cope with certain behaviors, and cope with any pressures they have on them while still appearing like they’re doing okay.”
This masking behavior makes it challenging for parents, educators, and even surveys to accurately gauge the extent of substance use among Los Alamos teens. It also complicates efforts to identify and help those who are struggling.
Superintendent Guy acknowledged the reluctance of some in the community to confront these issues. “It’s something that as a community, we need to all come work on this together, and it seems to happen in isolated pockets or people have conversations, but we don’t ever make steps forward,” she said. “We have to move past the mindset that it’s not happening.”
Desperation, depression, and addiction
Just as behavioral masking conceals substance use, some drugs mask deadlier drugs within them. One concern in Los Alamos is the rise of adulterated drugs, especially counterfeit pills mimicking prescription medication like oxycodone. Many young adults recount close calls with counterfeit pills, describing situations where they or their friends knowingly took risks with potentially lethal substances, driven by a combination of desperation, depression, and addiction.
These accounts show a pattern: young people drowning in cravings or emotional pain easily obtain pills they suspect are “pressed,” or counterfeit. Some described surviving overdoses, while others lost friends to fentanyl poisoning. The survivors described knowing, but sort of pretending not to know, that the drugs they were taking might contain a lethal dose of fentanyl; it was a kind of Russian roulette, playing with death, that has become normalized.
Dr. Hayes said that fentanyl has become ubiquitous in the illicit drug supply, often without users’ knowledge. “Twenty to 40% of pills contain, I believe, 2000 micrograms or more, which is enough so the user can die from it,” she said.
The shift from prescription opioids to heroin and now fentanyl as the primary threat has dramatically increased the danger for users. Fentanyl is about 100 times more potent than heroin, making it hard to dose safely. As Hayes explained, “You can’t just give someone enough to get high in one pill because it’d be too small to see.” Dealers dilute the fentanyl with substances like baby formula or flour, leading to wildly inconsistent potency within a single batch. “Some pills barely have any, some are almost pure fentanyl,” said Hayes. “And you can’t tell.”
Where and how teens are using
Prevention starts with understanding how teens are using drugs. Multiple young adults paint a picture of a party scene that spans from private homes to outdoor locations.
“I’ve been to so many apartments where there’s straight-up like 20 people inside,” one source reported. Others described larger gatherings in more remote locations where police are unlikely to bust them due to manpower and jurisdiction reasons, with routine parties in areas like Rendija Canyon and the Jemez Mountains.
“Oh, they were part of the party,” said the mom, referring to other parents. “They were drunk, too.”
Family homes are another common choice. Multiple sources reported attending parties at houses where parents are absent, often for extended periods. One young adult who sometimes attends these parties said, “Their parents are just gone. I’m like, where are your parents? Why are they always gone?”
Boomtown spoke to two parents whose child, now recovering from substance use, attended Los Alamos High School. This couple was frustrated at the time because they observed many Los Alamos parents not only turning a blind eye to substance use by their teenagers but actively encouraging it. “Oh, they were part of the party,” said the mom, referring to other parents. “They were drunk, too.” (Note: Studies show early exposure to alcohol leads to more substance misuse.)
Parties without parents often involve a wide age range, from young teens to adults in their late 20s. A former party-goer recalled, “One of the first ones that I went to … was people that were like, probably [ages] 15 up to 25. And they were doing all types of psychedelics, and smoking weed, and drinking.”
Law enforcement confirms these accounts. Sgt. Ryan Wolking of the Los Alamos Police Department said that certain locations in town are known hotspots for drug activity. Anywhere teens gather, dealers will trawl for clients; police listed the skate park, fast-food restaurants, and the ice rink as examples.
While much of the drug use occurs in party settings, sources also describe non-party uses that are common among Los Alamos teens:
Home use: Teens may use when parents are away or distracted. This use includes drinking alcohol from their parents’ supply or using drugs while ensconced in their bedrooms. Two young people, unrelated, told me they stole their parents’ prescription medication and said the ease of access led to addiction. “People need to secure their medications — lock them up or throw them out,” said one young person. “That could save lives.” (See here for the disposal location in Los Alamos.)
Self-medication: Our local sources confirm what national research has shown: many teens turn to substances to cope with overwhelming emotions. “They’re lost, empty, and anxious,” said one young adult of the teens she sees at Los Alamos parties. “It’s not just at parties — it’s at school or anytime they’re around people. They reach for something to help them cope.”
Performance enhancement: Some students use stimulants like Adderall or cocaine to stay awake and study, especially during high-stress academic periods. “I was taking Adderall for school because I was always so tired, I never got enough sleep, I was always really stressed,” Grace said, adding that she does not have ADHD and was taking someone else’s prescription drugs. “I would use those for my SATs, or studying for a test, or taking notes.”
Social lubrication: Even outside of party settings, some teens use substances to feel more comfortable in social situations or to fit in with peer groups. “Your only form of hanging out is doing drugs with your friends,” Grace said. “For a lot of us, it was like a trauma bonding, like where we were bonding and doing drugs together, because that’s all we had.”
“Even the hardcore kids”
The young people we spoke to want parents to understand that no kid is immune to substance use. Cocaine as a “study aid,” alcohol as a social lubricant, and fentanyl to numb out trauma are all widely available and used by Los Alamos teens. They say many in the community are in denial about how prevalent substance use is, even among high achievers. Hannah said she is as likely to see “good” kids using drugs as “bad” kids and that academic ambitions don’t make teens immune: “Even the hardcore kids … trying to go for Ivy League [do drugs],” she said. Weiss’s research on behavioral masking supports this: high grades don’t mean kids aren’t using.
One young person recalled stopping by a friend’s house to tell the mom they were “studying.” The mom cheerfully bought the lie: “She’s like, ‘Okay, have a good night, sweetie!’” Parents are motivated to believe their children are simply doing homework with friends or engaging in other wholesome activities, she said.
It’s important to note that Los Alamos has many caring, involved parents who are actively engaged in their children’s lives — and that things can go sideways for a young person for reasons that have nothing to do with parenting. However, multiple sources, from young people to police, said the belief in Los Alamos’s safety has, perversely, made it less safe for some kids — because parents are letting down their guard.
The struggle to connect
The young people who shared these stories want the community to know how many of them are struggling and how alone they feel. “Parents are so blinded by the perfect image of Los Alamos that they don’t care about their kids,” said Grace. While this sentiment doesn’t apply to all parents, many teens say they feel disconnected and unsupported by the adults in their lives — and not just in Los Alamos. These young people tell me that institutions like schools, the courts, and the police are failing them. “Nobody listens,” says one young person. “It feels like the whole town is gaslighting you, telling you it’s not happening.”
This disconnect between perception and reality creates a dangerous gap in the community’s efforts to protect its youth. As one young person said, “It’s like they refuse to understand, even when you show them evidence. You could hand them proof, and they’ll still deny it.”
Grace gets the last word, offering advice that applies to all adults in the community, not just parents: “Just be more connected with the children in your life. Make sure that they are safe and make sure that they feel loved.”
Note: Boomtown has compiled a list of resources for parents and teens: you can find it here.
** Boomtown reached out to LANL for comment on their policy on substance use issues, and a spokesperson responded with the following statement: