NEWS RELEASE
DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION
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Today, May 7, is National Fentanyl Awareness Day. This annual observance is held to bring needed attention and awareness to the threats from fentanyl and fake pills – and the lives lost to poisonings and overdoses. Fentanyl is the most significant drug threat the United States has faced in its history. It is the leading cause of death for Americans 18 to 45 years old.
“Fentanyl continues to destroy families in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Montana and around the country,” said the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Rocky Mountain Field Division acting special agent in charge, David Olesky.
“We hope on National Fentanyl Awareness Day we can bring greater attention to the need to have important, critical, often tough conversations about the fentanyl epidemic with family members and friends.”
In 2023, DEA seized more than 77 million fake fentanyl pills. More than 70,000 Americans died just last year due to fentanyl poisoning. DEA laboratory testing has shown that 7 out of every 10 pills tested contain a potentially fatal dose.
The DEA Rocky Mountain Field Division continues outreach efforts into our communities, most recently with a Family Summit in Billings, MT. Similar summits have been held in Utah and Colorado.
“The men and women of DEA continue around the clock to combat the fentanyl crisis and target the drug cartels who peddle poison on the streets of our country,” Olesky said.
National Fentanyl Awareness Day was established by non-profit Song For Charlie (a national community outreach partner with DEA) and is separate from National Fentanyl Awareness and Prevention Day held annually in August. DEA is a proud co-sponsor of both days.
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