Learn About Fentanyl

WE ARE WARNING YOU NOW!

At the onset of this crisis, when government action was falling short, families impacted by fentanyl poisoning stepped up, determined to raise the alarm and protect others. We started this work because we could not stand by while more died to this deadly, deceptive drug. Through the voices of thousands of affected families, we have urged our country and government to act. Today, we are beginning to see change. Awareness is growing, and assistance is increasing. But the crisis is far from over.

Every day, people continue to die. The cost of human life is staggering, and even when deaths appear to dip for a time, the losses remain unacceptable. We cannot stop. We will not stop. The fight against this scourge must continue. Illicit fentanyl, 100x more potent than morphine, 50x stronger than heroin, is manufactured by drug cartels and trafficked into our country. It is sold alone or secretly mixed into other street drugs, or pressed into counterfeit pills that look like legitimate medications. Its extreme potency makes these drugs more addictive, more dangerous, and, too often, instantly deadly.

TWO MILLIGRAMS CAN KILL

JUST TWO MILLIGRAMS CAN KILL AND DEADLIER VARIANTS ARE SREADING

Just two milligrams of fentanyl, a few grains of salt, can kill. One counterfeit pill, one mistake, one exposure can leave a family shattered.

Even deadlier variants, like carfentanil (100x more potent than fentanyl; 10,000x stronger than morphine), are now circulating in the U.S. 0.02 milligrams, invisible to the eye, can be fatal.

U.S. deaths linked to carfentanil and analogs are rising. Street drugs are more unpredictable and deadly than ever, and the threat is growing.

WHERE DOES FENTANYL COME FROM?

Chemical precursors from China are shipped to Mexican drug cartels, who manufacture the fentanyl in clandestine labs and traffic it across the U.S.-Mexico border. China's chemical companies are incentivized by the Chinese Communist Party to continue producing and exporting these precursor chemicals, knowing full well they will be used to manufacture poison aimed at American citizens. This is a form of silent chemical warfare, and the United States is a direct target. However, China's role does not stop with chemicals: China has also led in laundering cartel profits. Using complex money laundering networks through Chinese banking systems and criminal syndicates, they help cartels clean billions of dollars in drug proceeds, making China not only the enabler of fentanyl production but also the biggest cartel in the world when it comes to manufacturing, distributing, and laundering fentanyl money. On the ground, Mexican cartels have become more powerful, organized, and dangerous than ever. Their presence in Mexico is deeply entrenched, corrupting officials and controlling entire regions. In the United States, their networks now reach into every state, with creative and constantly evolving trafficking methods, distribution pipelines, and street-level networks. These cartels are not static, they are continually innovating: using social media to sell counterfeit pills, employing sophisticated smuggling techniques, and adapting their deadly products in real-time. Their grip on U.S. cities and small towns is expanding, creating unprecedented public safety risks on both sides of the border. Illicit fentanyl is not just a drug crisis, it is a national security threat that continues to grow.

Source: DOJ

LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH

FENTANYL IS THE LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH AND CHILDREN ARE DYING AT UNPRECENTED RATES

Fentanyl poisoning is now the #1 killer of Americans 18 to 45, more than car crashes, suicide, or guns. And now, children and teens 17 and under are dying at record rates. Many are not drug users, some are victims of accidental exposure: infants, toddlers, and kids at home or in public spaces. This is an emergency. We cannot allow this devastation to continue.

EVERY 5 MINUTES

SOMEONE DIES IN THE U.S. FROM FENTANYL POISONING EVERY 5 MINUTES

Every 5 minutes in the U.S., another life is lost to fentanyl poisoning. Almost 300 people die every day; sons, daughters, mothers, fathers.
Every 5 minutes, another family is shattered.

NO ONE IS IMMUNE

Fentanyl poisoning strikes every community, urban, rural, and suburban.
Victims include:

Young people experimenting
Adults with no drug history
The unsuspecting
Toddlers and infants accidentally exposed
People seeking drugs

This epidemic does not discriminate.

THINK AGAIN

If you think, "This won't happen to us," think again. Thousands of families believed the same, until fentanyl took someone they loved.

One pill. One drug. One mistake. One life gone. Please protect your loved ones.

NALOXONE

Naloxone is a life-saving medication that can reverse fentanyl poisoning by blocking fentanyl’s effects in the brain. It restores breathing and can save lives if given quickly enough. If you suspect someone has been poisoned by fentanyl, even if you’re unsure use naloxone immediately and call 911. Seconds matter. Acting fast can mean the difference between life and death. Because fentanyl and carfentanil are so powerful, multiple doses of naloxone may be needed and tragically, not all poisonings can be reversed. We do not tell people about naloxone to encourage drug use, we tell them because, right now, it is the only tool we have to try and save a life in this crisis. We live in a time where everyone should consider carrying naloxone, and at a minimum, everyone should know how to use it. You could save a loved one, a friend, or even a stranger. Naloxone is essential, but prevention must always come first. There is no safe amount of fentanyl.

Source: CDC

POISONING VS. OVERDOSE

POISONING VS. OVERDOSE - KNOW THE DIFFERENCE

We refer to fentanyl deaths as poisonings, not overdoses.
Here’s the difference:
An overdose occurs when a person takes a dose of a substance, drug or medicine, that is larger than the recommended or usual amount. The person knowingly takes the substance, but the amount taken results in harmful or fatal consequences. This can be accidental or intentional.
Poisoning occurs when someone is unknowingly exposed to fentanyl through fake pills, laced drugs, or mislabeled substances. The deception is what kills them.
Illicit fentanyl deaths are poisonings, not overdoses.

Victims take a counterfeit pill believing it’s a real prescription, but it’s laced with fentanyl.
Victims use cocaine or marijuana unaware it contains fentanyl.
Victims buy Adderall® or Xanax® off the street, but it’s a fake pill with fentanyl.

China is directly targeting Americans with illicit fentanyl. This began with fentanyl disguised in counterfeit pills that looked like legitimate prescriptions. Now, it is also being deceptively mixed into other street drugs.
Fentanyl poisoning is driven by deception, and that is why the word “poisoning” matters. It tells the truth about what is happening: these are not ordinary drug overdoses, they are a chemical attack through deception.
Even for those addicted to fentanyl, it is still a poison.
Even if a person is struggling with addiction and seeks out illicit fentanyl, the fentanyl they are using is not a regulated pharmaceutical. It is a black-market chemical weapon produced by China and cartels, purposely designed to:
Create faster addiction, by increasing potency and variability
Cause fatal poisonings, through unpredictable dosing and deadly variants like carfentanil
This is not an “accident of addiction.” This is chemical deception:
The user cannot know the dose, cannot know the potency, and cannot know if a counterfeit product will kill them this time.
Every use is a game of Russian roulette, even for a person addicted.
That is why we call it poisoning, because the product is designed to deceive and destroy. The intent is not to maintain addiction, the intent is to cause faster addiction or death.
This is why the word “poisoning” matters, even for those in active use.

WHERE DO THE CHILDREN GO

THE HIDDEN FACTS AND WHO PAYS THE PRICE

As the fentanyl death toll rises, so does the number of grandparents raising grandchildren, and the burden on foster care and social services is growing. Did you ever stop to think: where do the children go when mom or dad dies from fentanyl poisoning? Grandparents have always stepped up when tragedy strikes a family. But now, across America, entire generations of older adults, often on fixed incomes, are raising the children that the middle generations have left behind. At the same time, social services and foster care systems are being overwhelmed, with not enough resources, not enough foster families, and too many children in need of homes.

Families shattered
Children grieving and displaced
Grandparents carrying unimaginable burdens
Social systems strained to the breaking point

The ripple effects of fentanyl poisoning extend far beyond the individual lost. They touch entire families, entire communities — and future generations.

BEYOND THE HUMAN TRAGEDY

BEYOND THE HUMAN TRAGEDY - THE ECONOMIC TOLL

STAGGERING

What most Americans do not see is the enormous financial cost this crisis is placing on our nation:

Human services and foster care systems
Healthcare and emergency response
Law enforcement and criminal justice
Overburdened hospitals and first responders
Lost workforce productivity
Insurance costs
Funeral and burial expenses

The hidden economic cost of the fentanyl crisis is now being measured in the trillions of dollars, and it continues to rise each year. For every life lost, there is a ripple effect of grief, economic hardship, and strain on public services, impacting families, communities, and taxpayers nationwide. This is not just a drug problem. It is a human crisis, a public health emergency, and an economic disaster that is reshaping our nation.

LET'S BREAK IT DOWN

Illicit fentanyl is devastating communities across America and continues to change the drug landscape at an alarming rate.

Illicit fentanyl is sold through illegal drug markets for its heroin-like effects. It is frequently mixed with heroin, cocaine, and other substances, often without the user's knowledge, to increase potency and profitability.

Fentanyl is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine. Just 2 mg can be a lethal dose.

The onset of fentanyl poisoning can occur within seconds, much faster than heroin. While it may resemble a typical opioid overdose, fentanyl poisoning can present with additional symptoms, including:

Immediate blue or gray lips
Body stiffening or seizure-like activity
Foaming at the mouth
Sudden confusion followed by unresponsiveness

Fentanyl shuts down the neurological and respiratory systems. Death is often a form of suffocation and can occur in minutes or even seconds. It can also cause respiratory failure known as "wooden chest syndrome."

Fentanyl precursors are primarily produced in China and trafficked by Mexican cartels into the United States. These organizations manufacture counterfeit pills in clandestine labs designed to look like legitimate prescription medications.

Fentanyl has been found in nearly all street drugs today, including cocaine, heroin, Xanax, Oxycodone, Percocet, Adderall, and marijuana.

There are many fentanyl analogues, also called precursor chemicals, used to increase potency. Carfentanil, for example, is significantly stronger and can kill even more rapidly than fentanyl.

Illicit fentanyl is highly addictive and deceptively manufactured to mask its danger. Every dose taken is like playing Russian roulette.

The DEA reports that 7 in 10 (2024) & 4 in 10 (2025) counterfeit pills containing fentanyl may be lethal.

There is a dangerous misconception that fentanyl poisonings only affect individuals struggling with addiction. In reality, unsuspecting people of all ages are dying every day.

There are no age, social, or economic boundaries. Fentanyl is killing toddlers, teens, adults, and seniors. It is now the number one cause of death for Americans ages 18 to 45.

In the last four years, fentanyl poisonings among youth ages 17 and under have increased by 77 percent, highlighting the growing impact on younger populations.

Fentanyl-related substances are now permanently classified as Schedule I drugs under the Controlled Substances Act through the HALT Fentanyl Act, replacing the previous temporary emergency classification.

Fentanyl seizures in the United States are estimated to account for only 10 to 15 (2023) percent of what is actually entering the country, meaning the vast majority reaches communities and is sold.

Illicit fentanyl is widely available and easy to obtain. It is often sold through social media and e-commerce platforms, where it can be purchased and delivered as easily as food. Cartels actively target youth through these platforms, offering quick money in exchange for distribution.

Fentanyl is more dangerous than any drug crisis we have seen before. Unlike prior opioid waves, fentanyl kills so quickly that recovery is often not an option.

The prescription opioid epidemic led to addiction, but individuals often had time to seek help. With fentanyl, that window is narrowing.

Over 100,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in a single year, with fentanyl driving the majority of those deaths. Fatalities have continued to rise at an exponential rate.

Hundreds of thousands of pounds of illicit fentanyl are trafficked into the United States each year, enough to kill billions of people. Its potency and widespread distribution have led some experts to describe it as having the characteristics of a weapon of mass destruction.

Despite the scale of the crisis, public awareness and response have not kept pace.

This is a national emergency.

Many fentanyl awareness organizations actively fighting this crisis were started by families who have lost loved ones. Awareness, education, and prevention can save lives. Educating and informing the public is a priority. Time is of the essence.