Purpose
- August 21 marks National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day.
- Remember loved ones lost to overdoses involving illegally made fentanyl.
- Raise awareness of the dangers of illegally made fentanyl and the importance of overdose prevention.
- Together, we can take action against illegally made fentanyl and save lives.
Overview
National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day™, established in 2022, is a day of coordinated response from organizations and those impacted by fentanyl overdose to raise public awareness of the dangers of illegally made fentanyl and to prevent overdose deaths.
The goals of National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day are to:
- Remember loved ones lost to overdoses involving illegally made fentanyl.
- Acknowledge the devastation of affected families and friends.
- Acknowledge the growing role illegally made fentanyl plays in the overdose crisis.
- Educate and raise public awareness of the dangers of illegally made fentanyl and the importance of overdose prevention.
Together, we can take action against illegally made fentanyl and save lives.
Partner with us
Join us by using your voice to share the facts on fentanyl— together, we can take action against illegally made fentanyl and save lives. This partner toolkit provides free resources for you to use, including key National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day messages, social media content, and more.
Key messages
Synthetic opioids like fentanyl contribute to nearly 70% of overdose deaths. Over the last few years, nonfatal and fatal overdoses involving fentanyl have continued to rise. Counterfeit pills, often containing illegally made fentanyl, are increasingly involved in overdose deaths. Illegal drugs and counterfeit pills can contain deadly levels of fentanyl without a person's knowledge, increasing the risk of overdose or death. Fentanyl is commonly mixed with drugs like heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine and can be made into pills that resemble other prescription opioids.
Keep in mind
Be the Voice for Change: Take Action against illegally made fentanyl and save lives by:
- Using fentanyl test strips (FTS). FTS are small strips of paper that can detect the presence of fentanyl in different kinds of drugs (cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, etc.) and drug forms (pills, powder, and injectables). FTS can inform people who use drugs and communities about the presence of fentanyl in the illegal drug supply so they can take steps to reduce their risk of overdose.
- Keeping naloxone readily available on you and at home. Naloxone is a life-saving medication that can reverse an overdose from opioids—including heroin, fentanyl, and prescription opioid medications—when given in time. Naloxone is available in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico and at pharmacies in most states without a prescription. Having naloxone available allows bystanders to help save lives by preventing a fatal overdose.
- Never taking pills that did not come from a pharmacy and weren't prescribed to you. Be aware that pills bought illegally might contain highly potent illegal drugs. Drugs mixed with fentanyl are extremely dangerous, and many people may be unaware that their drugs contain it.
- Avoiding mixing drugs. Whether intentional or not, mixing drugs like cocaine, opioids, and alcohol is never safe because the effects from combining drugs may be stronger and more unpredictable than one drug alone, and even deadly.
Sample social media content
Use our sample social media content on your platforms to spread the word this National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day.
Tomorrow is National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day. In honor of this day, learn how using #FentanylTestStrips, carrying #naloxone, and knowing the signs of an #overdose can help save lives: https://www.cdc.gov/stop-overdose/about/index.html
Addiction can happen to anyone, but with treatment, #recovery is possible. This National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day, if you know someone struggling with #addiction, encourage them to get help. Treatment may save a life: https://www.cdc.gov/overdose-prevention/treatment/index.html
These sample Facebook posts include multi-image series that are meant to be shared in a single post as a carousel or story.
Illegally made fentanyl is the most common drug involved in overdose deaths. Fentanyl test strips (FTS) can detect if fentanyl is present in illegal drugs. Remember, no test is 100% accurate. Drugs may still contain fentanyl even if you receive a negative result. In addition to using FTS, you can take steps to keep yourself and others safe:
- Keep naloxone on you and at home
- Avoid mixing drugs
- Never use drugs alone
- Never take pills that weren't prescribed to you
https://www.cdc.gov/stop-overdose/caring/fentanyl-facts.html
Parents, talk to your kids about the risks of counterfeit pills. These fake pills can look like the real thing, but may contain deadly amounts of illegally made fentanyl. Tragically, nearly 25% overdose deaths among adolescents in the U.S. involve counterfeit pills. This National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day, empower yourself and your kids with the info you need to stay safe: https://www.cdc.gov/stop-overdose/caring/fentanyl-facts.html
Counterfeit pills can look almost identical to prescription medication. They may contain deadly doses of fentanyl, and you wouldn't be able to see it, taste it, or smell it. #FentanylTestStrips can help detect the presence of fentanyl in drugs and save lives: https://www.cdc.gov/stop-overdose/safety/index.html
Digital media
Support National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day by changing your profile picture or encouraging your friends, fans, and followers to use the image as their own profile picture. Add a frame to your Facebook profile picture by visiting the CDC Facebook account.
