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Fentanyl awareness and prevention day is Aug. 21

Posted 8/17/23

In observance of National Fentanyl Awareness and Prevention Day on Aug 21, Scottsdale-based One Pill Killed is drawing attention to the growing threat of counterfeit prescription pills laced with the …

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NONPROFITS

Fentanyl awareness and prevention day is Aug. 21

Posted

In observance of National Fentanyl Awareness and Prevention Day on Aug 21, Scottsdale-based One Pill Killed is drawing attention to the growing threat of counterfeit prescription pills laced with the deadly drug fentanyl.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid 100 times stronger than morphine and up to 50 times stronger than heroin, according to a press release. Drug traffickers add fentanyl to pills to boost their black-market highs, but as little as three milligrams of fentanyl can be enough to kill an average-sized adult male.

The statistics are staggering:

• Six in 10 counterfeit prescription pills contain a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl.

• More than 50 million fentanyl-laced pills were confiscated by the DEA in 2022.
• Fentanyl is involved in the deaths of more Americans under 50 than any other cause.
• Teen poisoning deaths have tripled in the past 2 years.

One Pill Killed was established in 2021 in response to a personal tragedy that ended the life of 18-year-old Chase Michael Ellison. Ellison died from ingesting what he believed was a prescription Xanax but was, in fact, a deadly counterfeit laced with fentanyl. The Ellison family and owners of Ellison Media Co. started the One Pill Killed campaign to raise awareness about the fentanyl epidemic and the danger of counterfeit prescription drugs. More information is available at www.OnePillKilled.org.

Statics come from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Drug Enforcement Agency, statnews.com and jamanetwork.com.