April 29 was National Fentanyl Awareness Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness about the life-threatening risks of fentanyl. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is approximately 50 times more potent than heroin and most responsible for the rise in the nation’s overdose deaths.
Between 2000 and 2024, overdose deaths increased from 17,415 to 79,384, after peaking at 107,941 in 2022. Based on data from 42 states and Washington, DC, the CDC’s SUDORS dashboard indicated that 65% of overdose deaths in 2024 involved fentanyl. In comparison, methamphetamine was involved in 35% of overdose deaths and heroin was involved in 6%.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reported that 2 milligrams of fentanyl is considered a potentially lethal dose, which is equivalent to the size of a few grains of sand. Fentanyl is often mixed into other substances (e.g., fake prescription pills), leading many people to overdose on it unknowingly.
Created by Song for Charlie, National Fentanyl Awareness Day seeks to raise awareness about these issues in an effort ultimately to save lives. The CDC created a toolkit for the event and said, “the observance brings together public health, education, community, and private sector partners to raise awareness about the dangers of illegally made fentanyl—especially its impact on youth—and to promote actions that can save lives.”
Federal officials have taken several notable steps to reduce fentanyl overdose deaths:
- They have invested in prevention and awareness initiatives, such as the DEA’s “One Pill Can Kill” campaign.
- They have increased access to treatment by removing the so-called “X-wavier.” This change removed stringent training requirements for physicians to prescribe buprenorphine, an FDA-approved treatment for opioid use disorder.
- In 2023, the Food and Drug Administration allowed naloxone to be sold over the counter rather than through a prescription. Naloxone, also known by its brand name Narcan, is an FDA-approved medicine that can reverse overdoses from opioids like fentanyl.
- In 2025, President Donald Trump designated fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction, which grants the federal government additional authorities in targeting criminal organizations that produce, traffic, and sell the drug.