Naloxone quickly reverses an overdose by blocking the effects of opioids. It can restore normal breathing within 2 to 3 minutes in a person whose breath has slowed, or even stopped, as a result of opioid overdose.
 
More than one dose of naloxone may be required when stronger opioids like fentanyl are involved.
 
Naloxone won’t harm someone if they’re overdosing on drugs other than opioids, so it’s always best to use it if you think someone is overdosing. If you give someone naloxone, stay with them until emergency help arrives or for at least four hours to make sure their breathing returns to normal.

THE PROBLEM:

According to data from the CDC, drug-related overdoses are the number one cause of death for people ages 18-45. Synthetic opioids, primarily fentanyl, causing 2/3rd of those deaths.

Experimental drug use and addiction puts young people as one of the most at-risk populations for overdoses.

Fentanyl is lethal in small amounts (2mg) and many times people are unaware their drugs contain fentanyl.

40% of overdose deaths could have been prevented if someone present knew how and when to intervene.

Oftentimes, there is a lack of education on and accessibility to these overdose prevention and response resources.

The DEA was established in 1973 as the federal organization in charge of enforcing the controlled substances laws of the United States. Today thousands of DEA employees located in hundreds of offices across the country and around the world are dedicated to fulfilling DEA’s mission and to continuing our Tradition of Excellence. We are experts in drug law enforcement: Special Agents, Diversion Investigators, Forensic Scientists, Intelligence Research Specialists and highly trained support staff and we work together as one team to keep Americans safe from dangerous drugs and those that traffic in them.

Raising awareness about an urgent national problem: people are dying at alarming rates due to illicit fentanyl, a dangerous synthetic opioid. Get the facts and share them widely. Spread the word with us for our third annual activation on May 7, 2024.

National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day™ is established in remembrance of those lost to illicit fentanyl poisoning and to acknowledge the devastation this drug has brought to hundreds of thousands of affected family members and friends. This is a day of a coordinated response from fentanyl awareness organizations and affected families sharing their lived experiences as part of a whole group warning and informing our youth, the public, and the unsuspecting. The national day is observed on August 21st.

Learn about the Fentanyl facts to protect yourself and your family.

In 2023, DEA seized more than 78.4 million fentanyl-laced fake pills and nearly 12,000 pounds of fentanyl powder. The 2023 seizures are equivalent to more than 388.8 million lethal doses of fentanyl.

The 2024 fentanyl seizures represent over 11.2 million deadly doses. *

Song for Charlie is a national family-run nonprofit charity dedicated to raising awareness about ‘fentapills’ — fake pills made of fentanyl.

We partner with experts, educators, parents and other influencers to reach the most vulnerable group: young people between the ages 13-24.

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Our program highlights the emerging dangers of self-medication and casual drug use in the fentanyl era and encourages healthier strategies for coping with stress.

Discover • Connect • Prevent

The DEA has joined forces with Discovery Education to provide no-cost online tools that support every member of the community with the power of prevention. Help kickstart life-saving conversations today with standards-aligned English & Spanish-language resources for students in grades 3-12, plus additional resources designed for educators, families, and professionals.

Butterfly Counseling was founded in January of 2022 by April Sunshine Dupree, M.A., LMCHC. 

The name, Butterfly Counseling, was lovingly chosen in honor of her late mother, whom regularly visits April in the form of yellow butterflies.

Butterfly Counseling is conveniently located in Lillington, NC offering in-person services as well as teletherapy appointments. April started Butterfly Counseling as the solo-provider but quickly saw the need for additional providers. A year later, April is now joined by six other providers serving a variety of mental health counseling and coaching services to Harnett County and neighboring communities.

Recovery is an American Addiction Center (AAC) resource that connects you with valuable information about addiction treatment, finding local drug and alcohol treatment centers, and support programs to help you begin the recovery journey.

MentalHealth.gov provides one-stop access to U.S. government mental health and mental health problems information. MentalHealth.gov aims to educate and guide:

• The general public

• Health and emergency preparedness professionals

• Policy makers

• Government and business leaders

• School systems

• Local communities

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is the agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that leads public health efforts to advance the behavioral health of the nation.

North Carolina will receive $1.5 billion from a series of national opioid settlements totaling $56 billion – funds that will help bring desperately needed relief to communities impacted by opioids. These funds will be used to support treatment, recovery, harm reduction, and other life-saving programs and services in communities throughout the state. North Carolina’s Opioid and Substance Use Action Plan lays out concrete strategies to advance prevention, reduce harm, and connect people to the care that they need.

The Fentanyl Victims Network of North Carolina is an information clearinghouse with everything you need to know, do, and say when fentanyl kills your loved one in North Carolina and how to fight for justice.

Youth Villages provides help for children and young people across the United States who face a wide range of emotional, mental and behavioral problems. We work to find solutions using proven treatment models that strengthen the child’s family and support systems and dramatically improve their long-term success. Youth Villages directly helps tens of thousands of young people and their families every year and increases our impact through partnerships and advocacy.