04/29/2026
Today is National Fentanyl Awareness Day — a reminder that one pill can change a life forever.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid up to 50 times stronger than he**in and 100 times stronger than morphine, and it continues to drive overdose deaths across our communities.
In Kentucky, 1,410 lives were lost to overdose in 2024, and fentanyl was present in 62.3% of those deaths, remaining the most common drug found in overdose fatalities statewide. While Kentucky saw a 30.2% decrease in overdose deaths compared with 2023, the danger remains very real because fentanyl is often mixed into counterfeit pills and other substances without a person knowing it. ()
Awareness saves lives:
• Never take pills that were not prescribed directly to you
• Carry naloxone if available
• Talk openly with youth and families about counterfeit pills
• Know that addiction and overdose can affect any family, any community, any age
One conversation, one prevention effort, one life saved matters.