Fentanyl poisoning & counterfeit pills

According to the CDC, deaths from fentanyl poisoning are fastest growing among 14- to 23-year-olds. The presence of fentanyl both in counterfeit pills and in illicit street drugs poses a grave threat to the safety of teens and adults alike.

fentanyl heroin powder form side by side comparison

What is fentanyl?

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine. In medicine it is used to treat severe pain and manage postsurgical pain. But it is relatively cheap to produce, increasing its presence in illicit street drugs.

Fentanyl & other synthetic opioids | Overview

Fentanyl Test Strips

Opioids & IV drug use: How to help a loved one | Video Series

Xylazine: Increasing the risk of overdose

Medetomidine: Adding to the Overdose Crisis

fentanyl laced drugs counterfeit pills real pills side by side

About counterfeit pills

In the first nine months of 2021, the Drug Enforcement Administration seized 9.5 million counterfeit pills, with two out of every five pills containing a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl.

Counterfeit pills

Fentanyl laced drugs: How to protect loved ones

Protecting children from fentanyl: 5 things parents need to know

Song for Charlie co-founders on the rise of counterfeit prescription pills | Podcast

Quick-Guide to Snapchat: The Dangers of Illicit Substances

Getting help when needed

Learn more about opioid overdose reversal medication naloxone (Narcan) and other resources which can help your family.

Responding to fentanyl overdose with Naloxone | eBook

Get Help & Hope by Text | Personalized messages of support

Alternatives to opioids for pain management

How to navigate the addiction treatment system

Earpiece Relieves Opioid Withdrawal: Wearable Device Can Assist in Detox

Harm Reduction Resource Center

Fentanyl has changed the game. Kids are unknowingly being poisoned. They are not overdosing. These are no longer ‘normal’ times. We can teach our kids morals, values, kindness, integrity and more, but none of those things fight fentanyl. Love didn’t fight fentanyl. Valentine’s Day is forever changed, but we also believe Logan was that special to give his life up on the day of love to save others.

Logan’s Love Story

excerpt from Logan's Love Story, Parent Blog by Erin Rachwal

Read full story

Experts Answer

5 Things to Know About Fentanyl

What is fentanyl? Why is it so dangerous? Pat Aussem, Associate VP of Consumer Clinical Content Development, tells you 5 must-know facts about fentanyl.

Kids don't get their news from page six of the morning paper. So if we're going to warn kids, which we really think we need to do, we need to go where the kids are. We've got to figure out how to get to them directly. If they can spread the word and word starts to get out that these pills are fake, we think we can chip away at this category of victim and change the minds and change the behaviors.

Ed Ternan

Co-founder of Song for Charlie

Song for Charlie