08/19/2026
Families should never have to choose which day, which cause, or which loss deserves to be recognized.
As we approach the 5th Anniversary of National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day on August 21 and International Overdose Awareness Day on August 31, we believe now more than ever that there is room for both.
These observances may have different histories and areas of focus, but the mission that matters most is shared: honor lives, educate communities, support families, prevent deaths, and save lives.
Fentanyl has changed the landscape of the drug crisis. It has devastated families, communities, and generations. At the same time, overdose deaths continue to involve many different substances and circumstances. We cannot afford to narrow our compassion-or our commitment to prevention, to only one category of loss.
At Facing Fentanyl, we stand firmly on this:
Every life lost to a drug death matters.
Every family left behind matters.
Every life we can save matters.
There is no strength in division. There is no victory in competing over grief. And there is no reason families who have experienced different forms of loss cannot stand beside one another.
August 21, we will honor the lives lost to fentanyl, educate about the dangers of illicit fentanyl, and continue the fight for prevention and accountability.
August 31, we will stand with those honoring every life lost to overdose and continue working toward a future where fewer families experience this loss.
Different observances. Different histories. One shared commitment to saving lives.
This is bigger than a date on the calendar.
It is about people. Families. Communities. And the lives still here to be saved.
Let’s choose unity over division.
Let’s choose compassion over competition.
Let’s choose action over silence.
We stand together.
