. >> reporter: they're called synthetic drugs, and they are cheap, dangeo rousge, and often marketed specifically to young people. >> something this deadly in this small of a dose had entered our high school, not just our community, but our kids. >> reporter: you may not have heard of them, but law enforcement agencies across the country have, and they're sounding the alarm. >> it is a gamble every time. a kid gets a hold of one of except they're gambling with their life. >> reporter: and there's no better way to understand that life-threatening gamble than the story of 17-year-old tara fitzgerald. >> oh, my god, she -- her lips are blue and -- and i don't -- i don't feel a pulse. i don't feel a pulse. >> reporter: it's a story no parent wants to hear, but this mom and dad feel compelled to share. >> it seemed surreal. unbelievable. unimaginable. >> reporter: tara fitzgerald was no typical teenager. at least that's what her closest friends say. >> she looked at the world so much deeper and with so much more meaning than anyone that i have met. >> reporter: most people were worried ab