Expresses support for National Fentanyl Awareness Day and its goals to increase awareness of the dangers of fentanyl-laced counterfeit pills, especially among young people.
Brittany Pettersen
Representative
CO-7
This bill expresses support for National Fentanyl Awareness Day and its mission to increase awareness of the dangers of fake pills laced with fentanyl, particularly among young people and families. It highlights the alarming statistics surrounding fentanyl-related deaths and the prevalence of counterfeit pills, while also applauding law enforcement efforts to combat the issue. The bill encourages utilizing existing powers to stop the spread of these pills and supports the official designation of National Fentanyl Awareness Day.
Resolution Sounds Alarm on Fake Fentanyl Pills, Backs National Awareness Day for 2025
This resolution throws official support behind National Fentanyl Awareness Day in 2025, aiming to spotlight the deadly impact of counterfeit pills, particularly on young people. It acknowledges the stark reality that drug traffickers are flooding communities with fake pills designed to look like legitimate prescription medications—often containing lethal doses of fentanyl. The resolution notes a critical Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) finding: half of the fentanyl-laced fake pills analyzed contained a potentially deadly dose (at least 2 milligrams).
The Sobering Stats: Fentanyl's Deadly Footprint
The resolution lays out some grim numbers to underscore the urgency. In 2024 alone, law enforcement reportedly seized a staggering 60 million counterfeit pills containing fentanyl. When combined with fentanyl powder seizures, this equates to over 377 million lethal doses taken off the streets. Despite these efforts, the human cost remains devastating. Over 84,000 people died from drug-induced causes in the year ending October 2024, with illicit fentanyl and similar synthetic opioids implicated in over 58,000 of those deaths. The impact is hitting younger generations hard, with drug deaths among those aged 15-35 increasing five-fold over the last two decades, largely driven by illicit fentanyl.
Looks Can Kill: The Fake Pill Deception
A key focus is the deceptive nature of these fake pills, which often mimic common prescription drugs like opioids, stimulants, or anxiety meds. This makes them particularly dangerous, as someone might unknowingly ingest a fatal dose. The resolution highlights that these counterfeit drugs are pervasive, found in every state, and easily accessible via social media and e-commerce platforms—putting teens and young adults directly at risk. Alarmingly, illicit fentanyl is involved in more deaths of young people than all other drugs combined. Between 2019 and 2021, overdose deaths among 14-to-18-year-olds jumped 128 percent, with those involving fentanyl skyrocketing by 236 percent. Compounding the problem is a lack of awareness: in 2024, only about half of teens felt knowledgeable about fentanyl or knew it was being used in fake pills.
Raising the Alarm: What This Resolution Supports
So, what does this resolution actually do? It formally expresses support for the mission of National Fentanyl Awareness Day, specifically emphasizing the need to educate families and young people about fake pills. It gives a nod to law enforcement agencies battling the influx of these counterfeits and encourages the government to use its existing authorities to curb their spread. Finally, it backs the official designation of the awareness day itself. Essentially, it's a formal acknowledgment of the crisis and a signal of support for increased public education and ongoing enforcement efforts, using the data points above as justification for why this awareness is critically needed.