Ben Smith’s father knew the teenager had problems with alcohol and marijuana but never suspected he was into harder drugs.

Smith

The 18-year-old from Hartsburg died Wednesday after he was found unresponsive at a friend’s house in Ashland, where he had been partying Tuesday night. Ashland police are investigating his death as a possible prescription drug overdose.

"This deal here was a complete shock," said Larry Smith, Ben’s father.

Larry Smith said the family had almost exhausted all efforts to get his son treatment for alcohol and marijuana.

"I pray to God that somebody learns something out of this and another family doesn’t have to go through this," Larry Smith said. "This is the worst thing I’ve ever had to go through."

Ashland Police Chief Scott Robbins said police were called before noon Wednesday to an Ashland residence after Smith was found unresponsive. He had fallen asleep at about 1 a.m. on a couch after drinking alcohol at a party Tuesday night, Robbins said.

His friends reported last seeing him awake at about 6 a.m., when he awoke after one of them kicked him in the leg, Robbins said.

Police and medical personnel were called to the scene at 11:25 a.m. after the homeowner found Smith unresponsive and called 911. People inside the home started CPR as directed by the 911 dispatcher until emergency crews arrived, Robbins said.

Emergency room doctors at University Hospital found a fentanyl patch on Smith’s thigh, Robbins said. He was pronounced dead shortly after noon Wednesday.

Fentanyl is a pain reliever with potency about 80 times greater than morphine. Robbins described it as a very strong, very uncommon drug. "You don’t normally find these things being used by kids," he said.

Prescription drug use among teenagers is a problem everywhere, Robbins said.

"Our kids are pretty high-tech. They are using drugs that are easy to obtain from Mom or Dad or Grandma’s medicine cabinet," he said. "They want to get high, but marijuana smells when you smoke it, and other drugs are harder to get."

Robbins noted that the fentanyl patch could give a user a high for three or four days. "One of his friends reported that he acted like he was on a four-day drug," he said.

Medical Examiner Eddie Adelstein said an autopsy conducted yesterday did not determine Smith’s cause of death, and investigators are awaiting toxicology results.

Larry Smith described his son as a good kid who got into some bad situations. He didn’t graduate from Southern Boone County High School. Instead, he worked with his brother in construction for the past couple of years. He was a proficient carpenter who worked for Power’s Construction and had a bright future, Larry Smith said.

The father said he would remember his son for his love of life and for the practical jokes he would play while golfing with friends and family.

"It’s going on the third day, and I keep waiting for him to come home," he said.

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