Latest news with #OnePillCanKill
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
National Fentanyl Awareness Day shines light on deadly crisis
ST. LOUIS – It's a deadly crisis gripping communities across the nation, and St. Louis is no exception. Tuesday is National Fentanyl Awareness Day. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is teaming up with local law enforcement to raise awareness about the dangers of fentanyl and the staggering impact it's having on American families. Fentanyl is now considered the greatest drug threat facing the United States, according to the DEA. In 2023 alone, more than 105,000 Americans died from drug poisonings. Nearly 70 percent of those deaths were tied to synthetic opioids like fentanyl. Health officials warn fentanyl is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. It only takes about two milligrams, which is roughly the size of a few grains of salt, to be deadly. Multiple deaths, injuries reported after vehicle crashes into after-school building in central Illinois The biggest danger lies in the deception. Fentanyl is often mixed into counterfeit pills made to look like prescription medications, such as oxycodone, xanax and vicodin, which could get into the hands of unsuspecting users. While the CDC reports a decline in overdose deaths nationwide and an almost 28 percent decline in drug overdose deaths in Missouri year-over-year, the DEA emphasizes that now is not the time to relax. Officials warn drug cartels are increasingly using social media platforms and encrypted messaging apps to sell fake pills, often targeting young people. Tuesday is not only about raising awareness but also about honoring the lives lost to this crisis and empowering communities with information and prevention strategies. The DEA encourages everyone to join the 'Fight to Save Lives' using the hashtags #OnePillCanKill and #NationalFentanylAwarenessDay. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
North View Elementary School hosts GameChanger dinner promoting drug prevention education
CLARKSBURG, (WBOY) – GameChanger, a leading anti-drug initiative in West Virginia schools, hosted a dinner Wednesday evening at North View Elementary School. During the event, GameChanger officials provided resources to guardians and children in attendance, emphasizing the importance of drug prevention efforts within the school system. The program works with schools to implement and sustain student peer leadership programs in order to help children make healthy choices regarding alcohol, opioids and other substances. A documentary on fentanyl titled 'One Pill Can Kill' provided recognition to the GameChanger program. 'We are trying to get it from kindergarten all the way to high school. We're teaching, 'hey, one pill can kill, all it takes is that one time.' So, the documentary is about 45 minutes long. The classes, our third through fifth graders, are required to watch it here,' North View Elementary School counselor and GameChanger coach Tommy Retton said. Major West Virginia teachers unions merge to form 'Education West Virginia' Currently, GameChanger is available for all schools at no cost. As a youth-led prevention and community development initiative, GameChanger focuses on education, support and empowerment. 'The community as a whole is very important because we are able to funnel this information and kind of give an education. I know, even as a school counselor, I learn these things in school, but when you're in the community, you're seeing that this resource does this or this group does this, and I think education is very important,' Retton added. In fifth grade, North View Elementary has GameChanger leaders, and they help Retton by going into the classrooms and teaching lessons to their peers. Retton explained that the idea of peer-to-peer mentorship helps youth leaders become lifelong community leaders. 'As we're raising up these leaders in third grade, fourth grade, fifth grade, our goal is not to keep them in school. It's to send them out into the community. And so, we are always thinking long term,' Retton said. 'Our fifth graders are going to be adults someday. They're going to be parents. They're going to be husbands and wives. They're going to be employees in the community. And so, if they can learn to have a strong foundation now, just imagine what they'll do in the community when they can begin to teach prevention to the younger generation and teach these tools they're giving themselves.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Fentanyl overdose deaths declining in Michigan
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — For years, fentanyl has maintained its position as the nation's single deadliest drug, stalking the streets of America. But there are signs of progress in the fight against fentanyl as deadly overdoses decline in Michigan and nationwide. According to the Kent County Medical Examiner's office, fentanyl killed 29 people in the first six months of 2024. A final tally for 2024 is not yet available because results of toxicology tests are still pending in some cases. Still, it appears there were significantly fewer fatalities in 2024 than in the drug's deadliest year, 2022, in which 89 people died from fentanyl in Kent County, according to the medical examiner's office. In 2023, deadly fentanyl overdoses in Kent County decreased to 62, and 2024 deaths could be even lower. The steady decline is likely due to harm reduction efforts, like the widespread distribution of naloxone, the overdose reversal drug. Cherry Health adds 2 new Narcan vending machines Fentanyl test strips are increasingly available too, allowing people to check their drugs for fentanyl before they ingest them. Stepped up enforcement and increased public awareness played roles as well. 'We do believe the message is getting out there about fentanyl,' said Derek Ress, assistant special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration's Grand Rapids office. 'We're also getting the word out with our One Pill Can Kill initiative. … The message we're getting out there to high schoolers: 'You've got something that looks like Xanax or oxy — potentially, it's fentanyl. If you've got something that looks like Adderall, it's potentially meth. You never know what's going to be in there.'' The state is reporting a decline in deadly fentanyl overdoses too, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services: 2018: 1,505 deaths 2019: 1,428 deaths 2020: 1,876 deaths 2021: 2,263 deaths 2022: 2,208 deaths 2023: 2,168 deaths 2024: 680 deaths (only includes the first six months of the year) Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
