Purpose
National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness DayTM was established in 2022 to remember and honor lives lost to overdoses involving illegally made fentanyl and to help prevent future loss. Behind every life lost is a family, friend, school, workplace, or community affected by grief.
Overview
This year's theme, The Power of Parents, Caregivers, and Families, focuses on education, prevention, and empowering trusted adults to protect young people. It is never too early to talk with kids and teens about substance use, counterfeit pills, mental health, and how to ask for help. Open, honest conversations—paired with trusted prevention resources, naloxone awareness, and overdose response education—can help save lives.
Goals of National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day™
National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day™ honors lives lost to overdoses involving illegally made fentanyl and supports affected families and communities. It raises awareness of illegally made fentanyl, counterfeit pills, accidental exposure, and youth overdose risk; empowers parents and caregivers to start early, open conversations with kids and teens; and equips schools, youth-serving organizations, families, and public health partners with ready-to-share prevention resources. The observance promotes lifesaving actions—recognizing overdose signs, responding effectively, and keeping naloxone available—supports families and communities affected by substance use, treatment, recovery, grief, and help-seeking, and strengthens partnerships across families, schools, public health, prevention organizations, and community leaders to sustain prevention beyond August 21.
National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day™ was established by FACING FENYANYL™. FACING FENTANYL™ is a trademarked subsidiary of VOICES FOR AWARENESS FOUNDATION.
Partner with us
Join us on August 21 by using your voice to educate, prevent, and empower families and communities. Together, we can share the facts about illegally made fentanyl, help parents and caregivers start lifesaving conversations with kids and teens, and promote practical steps that can help prevent overdose deaths.
This partner toolkit provides free resources for you to use, including key National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness DayTM messages, parent and caregiver conversation prompts, sample social media content, and links to CDC resources on fentanyl, counterfeit pills, naloxone, youth substance use prevention, and overdose response.
Key messages
National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness DayTM is a time to remember, educate, and prevent. Observed each year on August 21, this day honors lives lost to overdoses involving illegally made fentanyl and supports families, friends, and communities affected by the overdose crisis. It is also a call to action: share facts, support families, and help people take steps that can save lives.
- The overdose crisis continues to affect families and communities, even as overdose deaths have declined.
- According to preliminary CDC data released in July 2026, an estimated 68,641 drug overdose deaths occurred in the 12 months ending in February 2026, a 12% decrease compared with the previous year.
- Despite this progress, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has renewed the opioid public health emergency declaration to continue federal coordination in response to the ongoing crisis.
- Illegally made fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid remains a leading driver of overdose deaths in the United States.
- Synthetic opioids like illegally made fentanyl are currently the most common substances involved in overdose deaths. Even small amounts can be deadly.
- In 2024, nearly 48,000 overdose deaths involved synthetic opioids, accounting for approximately 88% of all opioid-related fatalities.
- Although deaths involving synthetic opioids began to decline in 2023, they had increased sharply from 2013 to 2023.
- Young people are at risk because counterfeit pills can look real.
- Counterfeit pills can be made to look like legitimate prescription medications, including opioid pain medications or stimulants.
- A young person may think they are taking a familiar medication, but the pill may contain illegally made fentanyl.
- You cannot tell by looking, tasting, or smelling whether a pill or other drug contains fentanyl. Even one pill can be deadly.
- Parents, caregivers, and families are powerful prevention partners.
- It is never too early to have age-appropriate conversations about medication safety, substance use, mental health, peer pressure, counterfeit pills, and how to ask for help.
- Parents and caregivers do not need the perfect words. Asking what a young person has heard, listening without judgment, sharing facts, and keeping the conversation open can build trust and reduce risk.
- Prevention starts before there is a crisis.
- For younger children, prevention can begin with simple messages: only take medicine from a trusted adult, never take a pill that was not given to you by a parent, caregiver, or healthcare provider, and ask for help if something feels unsafe.
- For teens and young adults, prevention means talking directly about counterfeit pills, illegally made fentanyl, naloxone, mental health, and what to do if a friend may be in danger.
- When substance use, addiction, or overdose touches a family, everyone can feel the impact.
- Families need facts, compassion, support, and connection—not shame.
- Supporting families can help people seek treatment, recovery resources, and overdose prevention tools.
Partner taglines and custom messaging
Partners can customize messaging with a prevention-focused tagline. Suggested options include:
- The Power of Parents and Caregivers: Talk Early. Share Facts. Help Prevent Overdose.
- One Conversation Can Change What Happens Next.
- Counterfeit Pills Can Look Real. Even One Can Be Deadly.
- It's Never Too Early to Talk About Safety.
- When Addiction Touches a Family, Everyone Feels the Impact.
- Educate. Prevent. Empower.
- Talk Early. Talk Often. Keep the Door Open.
Partners can also use this call-to-action language:
- Starting the conversation. Talk with kids, teens, young adults, parents, caregivers, and families about counterfeit pills, illegally made fentanyl, mental health, and how to ask for help. Prevention conversations do not have to start with a crisis.
- Sharing the facts. Counterfeit pills can look like real prescription medications. A pill from a friend, online, or anywhere other than a licensed pharmacy may contain illegally made fentanyl. You cannot see, taste, or smell fentanyl.
- Keeping naloxone readily available on you and at home. Naloxone is a life-saving medication that can reverse an overdose from opioids—including fentanyl and prescription opioid medications—when given in time. Having naloxone available allows bystanders to help save lives.
- Never taking pills that were not prescribed to you and dispensed by a licensed pharmacy. Pills bought illegally, shared by a friend, or purchased online may contain highly potent drugs, including illegally made fentanyl.
- Avoiding mixing drugs. Whether intentional or not, mixing drugs such as cocaine, opioids, methamphetamine, or alcohol is never safe because the effects can be stronger, more unpredictable, and even deadly.
- Connecting people to support. If substance use, addiction, or overdose has touched your family or community, support is available. Encourage people to seek help, talk with a healthcare provider, connect with treatment and recovery resources, and reach out to trusted people in their lives.
Sample social media content
Use or adapt the messages below to help raise awareness on National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day™, observed on August 21. Pair these posts with the downloadable graphics, animated GIFs, and social media frames in this toolkit. Partners may customize posts with local resources, organization handles, and links to prevention, treatment, recovery, naloxone, or family support services.
Recommended hashtags: #NationalFentanylPreventionAwarenessDay #StopOverdose #FreeMind
Optional campaign hashtags: #PowerOfTheParent #TalkEarly #OnePillCanBeDeadly
Instagram/Facebook
August 21 is National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day™—a day to remember lives lost to overdoses involving illegally made fentanyl and take action to help prevent future loss.
Counterfeit pills can look like real medication, but they may contain fentanyl. You can't see, taste, or smell fentanyl. Even one pill can be deadly.
This year, start a conversation with the young people in your life. Talk early. Share facts. Help prevent overdose: https://bit.ly/4bZPALM
#NationalFentanylPreventionAwarenessDay #StopOverdose
X/Twitter
August 21 is National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day™. Counterfeit pills can look real, but they may contain illegally made fentanyl. Talk early, share facts, and help prevent overdose: https://bit.ly/4bZPALM
#StopOverdose
Instagram/Facebook
Parents and caregivers: You don't need perfect words to start a lifesaving conversation.
Ask what your child or teen has heard about fentanyl and counterfeit pills. Listen without judgment. Share the facts. Keep the door open.
It's never too early to talk about safety, substance use, mental health, and how to ask for help: https://bit.ly/4bZPALM
X/Twitter
Parents & caregivers: You don't need perfect words. Ask what your teen has heard about fentanyl and counterfeit pills. Listen, share facts, and keep the door open. Have the conversation today: https://bit.ly/4bZPALM
#NationalFentanylPreventionAwarenessDay #StopOverdose
Instagram/Facebook
Fake pills can look like real medicine. A pill from a friend, online, or anywhere other than a licensed pharmacy may contain fentanyl.
Look out for each other. Never take a pill that wasn't prescribed to you and dispensed by a pharmacy. If you're worried about yourself or a friend, talk to a trusted adult and get help fast: https://bit.ly/4bZPALM
#StopOverdose #NationalFentanylPreventionAwarenessDay
X/Twitter
Fake pills can look like real medicine. You can't see, taste, or smell fentanyl—and even one pill can be deadly. Look out for each other. Never take a pill that wasn't prescribed to you and dispensed by a pharmacy. Learn more: https://bit.ly/4bZPALM
#StopOverdose
Instagram/Facebook
When addiction touches a family, everyone feels the impact.
Families may carry fear, uncertainty, grief, and stress—but families can also be a powerful source of support, stability, and change.
This National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day™, share facts, reduce shame, and connect families to prevention, treatment, recovery, and support resources: https://bit.ly/4bZPALM
#NationalFentanylPreventionAwarenessDay #StopOverdose
X/Twitter
When substance use or overdose touches one person, the whole family feels it. Families need facts, support, compassion, and connection—not shame. Share facts and connect families to prevention, treatment, recovery, and support resources: https://bit.ly/4bZPALM
#NationalFentanylPreventionAwarenessDay #StopOverdose
Instagram/Facebook
Teachers, counselors, coaches, mentors, school nurses, and youth-serving adults can help start prevention conversations before there is a crisis.
Share facts about counterfeit pills. Encourage help-seeking. Connect parents and caregivers to resources that support honest conversations with youth: https://bit.ly/4bZPALM
#FreeMind #StopOverdose #NationalFentanylPreventionAwarenessDay
X/Twitter
Teachers, coaches, counselors & youth-serving adults: you can help start the conversation before there's a crisis. Share facts about counterfeit pills, encourage help-seeking, and connect families to resources: https://bit.ly/4bZPALM
#FreeMind #StopOverdose
Instagram/Facebook
Education. Prevention. Empowerment.
Communities can help prevent overdose. This August 21, share the National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day™ toolkit, host conversations with families, promote naloxone awareness, and connect people to local support.
Together, we can help parents, caregivers, families, and young people act now before there is a crisis: https://bit.ly/4bZPALM
#NationalFentanylPreventionAwarenessDay #StopOverdose
X/Twitter
Prevention is a community effort. Schools, faith groups, youth programs, health partners, and families can share facts, promote naloxone, and help protect young people from illegally made fentanyl: https://bit.ly/4bZPALM
#NationalFentanylPreventionAwarenessDay #StopOverdose
Instagram/Facebook
Know the signs. Carry naloxone. Be ready to respond.
Naloxone can reverse an opioid overdose when given in time. Talk with family, friends, staff, and volunteers about where naloxone is kept and how to use it.
Prepared communities can help save lives: https://bit.ly/4bZPALM
#StopOverdose #NationalFentanylPreventionAwarenessDay
X/Twitter
Know the signs. Carry naloxone. Be ready to respond. This National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day™, learn how to recognize an overdose and help save a life: https://bit.ly/4bZPALM
#StopOverdose
Sample partner letter
Subject line: Join Us for National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day™ — August 21
Preheader: Help parents, caregivers, families, and communities talk early, share facts, and prevent overdose.
Dear Partner,
August 21 marks the fifth annual National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day™, established by FACING FENTANYL™ and families affected by overdoses involving illegally made fentanyl. This observance is a time to remember lives lost, support families and communities affected by overdose, and take action to help prevent future loss.
This year's theme, The Power of the Parent, focuses on education, prevention, and empowering parents, caregivers, families, and communities to protect young people. From 2020–2024, 75% of overdose deaths among youth ages 10–19 involved illegally made fentanyl. At the same time, many teens do not know that counterfeit pills can contain fentanyl. These facts underscore the urgent need for trusted adults to start early, honest, and ongoing conversations with young people.
Parents and caregivers do not need the perfect words to make a difference. A conversation about medication safety, counterfeit pills, substance use, mental health, peer pressure, and how to ask for help can build trust and reduce risk. It is never too early to talk with kids and teens about safety. For younger children, that can mean simple messages like only taking medicine from a trusted adult. For teens and young adults, that means talking directly about counterfeit pills, illegally made fentanyl, naloxone, and what to do if a friend may be in danger.
Counterfeit pills can look like legitimate prescription medications, but they may contain illegally made fentanyl. You cannot tell by looking, tasting, or smelling whether a pill or other drug contains fentanyl. Even one pill can be deadly.
We invite you to join CDC and partners nationwide in amplifying National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day™ messages. Your organization can help by sharing trusted information, encouraging conversations between young people and trusted adults, promoting naloxone awareness, and connecting families and communities to prevention resources.
Five ways partners can act on August 21:
- Share the toolkit. Use the CDC National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day™ partner toolkit for key messages, social media content, graphics, and ready-to-share resources.
- Start a conversation. Encourage parents, caregivers, educators, coaches, youth-serving adults, and community leaders to talk with young people about counterfeit pills and illegally made fentanyl.
- Promote prevention resources. Share CDC's Free Mind and Stop Overdose materials with families, schools, youth-serving organizations, and community networks.
- Support overdose response. Help people learn the signs of an overdose, know how to respond, and keep naloxone readily available.
- Support families. When substance use, addiction, or overdose touches one person, the whole family can feel the impact. Compassion, facts, and connection can help people seek support, treatment, and recovery resources.
Suggested partner message:
The Power of Parents and Caregivers: Talk Early. Share Facts. Help Prevent Overdose.
Thank you for helping raise awareness and protect young people. One conversation, one shared resource, or one dose of naloxone can help save a life.
Sincerely,
[Name]
[Title]
[Organization]
[Contact Information]
Optional closing call-to-action for the partner email:
Educate. Prevent. Empower. This National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day™, help parents, caregivers, families, and communities talk early, share facts about counterfeit pills and illegally made fentanyl, and take steps to prevent overdose.
Resources
- Fentanyl Awareness & Education | Facing Fentanyl
- Fentanyl Facts | Stop Overdose | CDC
- Lifesaving Naloxone | Stop Overdose | CDC
- What to Do if You Think Someone is Overdosing | Stop Overdose | CDC
- Polysubstance Use Facts | Stop Overdose | CDC
- Reverse Opioid Overdose to Prevent Death | Overdose Prevention | CDC
- What You Can Do to Test for Fentanyl | Stop Overdose | CDC
- About Stop Overdose | Stop Overdose | CDC
- Beware of the Fake and Switch
- Facts About Substances | Free Mind | CDC
- Drug-Free Communities (DFC) | Overdose Prevention | CDC
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