May 10 marks 1st National Fentanyl Awareness Day

May 10 marks 1st National Fentanyl Awareness Day

May 10 marks the first National Fentanyl Awareness Day, and it aims to amplify efforts to increase awareness and decrease demand for fentanyl, a highly addictive synthetic opioid that continues to drive the overdose epidemic.

Much has been written about fentanyl in the past few months. But just a reminder of what fentanyl is and the havoc it can wreak. Fentanyl is a potent lab-made opioid, 50-100 times stronger than heroin. Even doses as small as 2 milligrams of fentanyl, equivalent to 2 grains of sand, can be fatal. Because so little is needed and it can be made instead of grown, some drug dealers are adding fentanyl to other commonly used street drugs such as heroin, methamphetamines, and counterfeit pills.

The Mat-Su Borough has seen a surge in overdoses related to unintentional fentanyl use, resulting in 7 deaths so far this year. From 2020-2021, overdoses skyrocketed 71% in Alaska, making it one the highest states in the country to be affected by the current opioid crisis. Earlier this year, the High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force seizure 1244 grams of Fentanyl, nearly twice the amount seized in all of 2021. Last week, Governor Mike Dunleavy announced he was seeking a legislation change to make dealers who knowingly supply fentanyl-laced products that result in death a 2nd degree murder charge.

In a statement, Governor Dunleavy recognized National Fentanyl Awareness day: “The drug has made its way to Alaska through an insufficiently protected southern border. While extremely poisonous, (100X more potent than morphine) fentanyl is used by dealers because it is extremely addictive to the user, even in amounts the size of a few grains of salt.

At the federal level, we will continue our work with other governors and press the Biden Administration to do more to stop China’s shipments of fentanyl and fentanyl precursors to Mexico and protect our southern border. I have joined 25 other Governors in the American Governor’s Border Strike Force.”

Closer to home, Julie Bouchard of Palmer, whose son died of an overdose due to fentanyl, expressed appreciation at the Governor addressing the deadly fentanyl crisis in Alaska:

“I pray we can find a way to fight this and end the needless murders of Alaskans and worldwide. As I remember my son Taegge Lee, who died of a fentanyl overdose on July 15, 2021, I hold all the families affected in my thoughts and prayers,” she said before addressing National Fentanyl Awareness Day.

“Please educate your children about the dangers of fentanyl both on this National Fentanyl Awareness Day and every day.”

According to the CDC, more than 107,000 people in the United States died of drug overdoses in the 12-month period ending in November 2021. Some deaths were attributed to fentanyl mixed with other illicit drugs like cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin, while many users never knew they were actually taking fentanyl.

In an effort to save lives, the Drug Enforcement Agency has joined with public health agencies, non-profits, and law enforcement in recognizing the first ever National Fentanyl Awareness Day. People are encouraged to take a few minutes to learn about the dangerous threat that fentanyl poses to the safety, health, and security of the American people.

“Fentanyl is the single deadliest drug threat our nation has ever encountered,” said Administrator Anne Milgram in a press release. “Fentanyl is everywhere. From large metropolitan areas to rural America, no community is safe from this poison. We must take every opportunity to spread the word to prevent the fentanyl-related overdoses claiming scores of American lives every day.”

Michael Carson, chair of the Mat-Su Opioid Task Force reminds people that one thing they can do to combat fentanyl is to have a Narcan kit on hand and know how to use it in case of an overdose. Narcan is available through Project HOPE and Public Health Centers in most local neighborhoods.

For more information about National Fentanyl Awareness Day, visit www.fentanylawarenessday.org

To learn more about Narcan and obtain a Narcan kit, visit the DHSS Project HOPE webpage