04/29/2026
Today is the Fifth Annual 💜🩵
❤️🩹With the intention to avoid future accidental overdoses, organized National Fentanyl Awareness Day (NFAD) to uplift substance use education and promote access to overdose prevention tools 👩🏻🏫
👨🏾⚕️Fentanyl is a synthetic, or man-made, opioid with serious abuse potential. It can be taken to relieve pain, so doctors may prescribe fentanyl after surgeries or in other medical contexts 🩻
🙅🏽♀️What makes fentanyl especially dangerous is its high potency, meaning that a small amount can have a large effect. It takes only 2 mg of fentanyl, equivalent to a few grains of sand, to kill someone ⌛️
💊Furthermore, drug dealers often mix small amounts of fentanyl with other substances and sell them to increase their profits. Common drugs such as Oxy (Oxycodone), Percocet, and Xanax, and party drugs such as co***ne and M**A may contain some fentanyl if they are not purchased from pharmacies. Illicit fentanyl does not go through any quality control or regulation, so it has a high risk of contamination and poisoning ☠️
🍪If you plan to use substances, test them first. It is important to understand that fentanyl may be unevenly spread out within a substance, meaning some portions can contain high concentrations while others may have little to none. This is often called the “chocolate chip cookie” effect, and it is especially concerning with pressed pills. To test more accurately, thoroughly mix the substance before taking at least a 10 mg sample 🧪
💌Raising awareness about data-backed substance use education and providing harm reduction tools has contributed to a decrease in fatal overdose rates over the past few years in the United States 📉
🚨However, the fentanyl overdose crisis is still prevalent today. The drug supply is constantly evolving, so it is important to remain informed about emerging substances in your community. People should continue to test drugs, avoid using alone, and carry naloxone so we can protect one another and avoid accidental overdoses 💐
