By: Piper Vaughn
Published 6:18 AM, Apr 29, 2025
Read the article and watch the video on the KOAA News 5 Website.
April 29, 2025, marks the fourth annual National Fentanyl Awareness Day, a growing nationwide effort to raise awareness and combat the toll of fentanyl-related overdoses.
KOAA News 5
Today marks the fourth annual National Fentanyl Awareness Day, a nationwide initiative aimed at combating the escalating crisis of fentanyl-related overdoses. Our news 5’s Piper Vaughn. She looked into the importance of this issue. She joins us live in studio to tell us more. Good morning, Piper.
Piper Vaughn
Well, good morning, Tony. Fentanyl deaths have become a pretty serious public health issue, with one kilogram of fentanyl having the potential to kill 500,000 people. That’s according to the DEA. And a lot of people are not really aware that counterfeit prescription pills may contain lethal doses of fentanyl. Officials say many overdoses happen without people knowing they’ve taken fentanyl. Counterfeit pills made to look like prescriptions often contain hidden and lethal doses. I spoke with an addiction specialist who tells me the importance of knowing about NARCAN, which can reverse opioid overdose.
Steve Carleton
If you have a teen or a loved one that’s going out to parties and there are drugs present, it’s important for people that aren’t using those substances services, take care of Narcan as well, right? Because chances are you’re not going to use it on yourself.
Piper Vaughn
So take a look at your screen here. These emojis are ones you can be on the look out for. They’re often used as a code for drug dealing. These often will appear on social media or applications like Venmo or PayPal. General dealer signs are often a plug, money signs or faces, and a universal drug is that red leaf you can see on your screen. For meth, it is often a diamond or potion emojis. For heroin, it is often a dragon. Cocaine is an eight-ball, Snowflake, Key, or diamond. An MDMA or Mollie is candy, a pill, or a lightning strike. For those looking to get involved, resources are available to help recognize the signs of an overdose and respond effectively, including information for accessing NARCAN, which is a life-saving medication that can reverse opioid overdoses. So far this year, the DEA is reporting more than 22 million fentanyl pills that have been seized across the country. In studio, I’m Piper Vaughn, News 5.
